Nothing bonds hordes of fans together like rioting, screaming and violence. In all parts of the country, especially in Boston, there are always groups of loyal fans who love and honor their cities’ sports teams. These fans often display their hometown spirit with clean, wholesome cheering. Other times, these fans become raging lunatics and incite mass destruction of property.
Now I’m not saying the Patriots fans who rioted this Sunday are “raging lunatics.” These riots were genuinely geared toward supporting the team who brought home the first Super Bowl to our region. Boston fans haven’t enjoyed a championship since the 1986 Celtics, but later that year, the Red Sox lost the World Series. The Bruins haven’t won a Cup since 1972, and the Pats lost in 1986 as well as 1997. But I won’t get into the plight of Boston sports fans. All the swinging from trees, dancing atop vans, and at some junctions completely necessary flashing was warranted. On Sunday, the championship-starved New England fans finally got what they deserved.
But, in general, what makes fans go berserk? Here are five possibilities.
1. Alcohol. This is a key element. By no means are all sports fans drunks, but by adding happy juice while watching sports, things can go haywire. Take for example the fan who last year dove into the penalty box to attack Tie Domi, which you just don’t do, after Domi squirted him with water. But while intelligence only supposedly increases after heavy consumption, it can sure make sports a lot more intriguing.
2. The “Remember When” factor. This probably excites fans that most and occurs in the period of time known as “The Aftermath and Beyond.” When J.D. Drew refused to sign with the Phillies, probably because they were terrible at the time, Philly fans knew they would get even. When he signed with St. Louis, they hatched a scheme so clever that none of the Cardinals saw it coming. In Drew’s his first game in Philadelphia, he lined a base hit and ran down the first base line. As he trotted down to first, fans pelted him with batteries. That’s right, batteries. Who prompted this assault remains a mystery, but a good laugh was had by all the participants. And Philly fans can now always say, “Remember when we threw batteries at J.D Drew?”
3. Anonymity. Ah, such sweet, sweet anonymity. Nothing beats it. The craziest fans, however, do not live in America. They are European Soccer fans. These people riot like it’s their job. Last year, after a bitter 6-0 Inter loss to archrival AC Milan, angry fans in Milan, Italy hurled attacked not only at police but their own team’s players. Of the thousand of fans in attendance, only two were arrested. Anonymity. In large raucous groups, fans believe they are invincible and will do almost anything if they think they won’t get caught.
4. Relieving stress and misery. Everyone should find a way to relieve stress. We’re all under way too much of it. The Red Sox haven’t won a World Series in 84 years. The Yankees have won 26. Naturally, Boston fans should be slightly annoyed. So they come up with “Yankees Suck” shirts, of which I own three (and a flag). While this might seem like a true form of team pride, buying these shirts often relieves stress. As I walked out of Fenway after the Yankees defeated the Sox in Game 5 of the 1999 ALCS, I heard a fan say, “Man, I just hate the Yankees.” However, his sorrows turned to joy as he darted to the closest tee-shirt salesman to purchase such this poetic apparel. These tee-shirts won’t make the Sox thirst for a championship go away, but in the meantime they can cause this stress and misery to temporarily evaporate.
5. Passion/Anger. December 17, 2001. Jacksonville at Cleveland. The lovely Cleveland fans are enjoying another heart-warming football game when all of a sudden their playoff hopes are shattered. With the Browns trailing in the 4th quarter, Tim Couch completed a 4th down pass to keep the Browns drive moving. However, after Couch then quickly spiked the ball to stop the clock, the refs decided to review the last reception. They decided the pass was incomplete even though another down had already taken place. The Jags were awarded the ball, and basically the game. Outraged fans hurled beer bottles and trash at the officials, who ended the game early and dashed off the field with fears of death and torture ringing true in their hearts. Passion can make people do crazy things, and those insane Cleveland fans sure went crazy.
Who knows why sports fans go nuts? Maybe we should just accept this fact and move on with our lives. Anyway, the baseball season is coming up, and I have some laundry to do.
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