Many Americans identify with a team and passionately assume the identity of "sports team fan." Among such Americans, the need to express affiliation and identity, a basic drive that has produced great cultural and creative works, has become a matter of painting one's face every week and screaming because a group of people wearing green and not orange did something that has improved nothing and will quickly be forgotten. It is a total re-funneling of identity, energy, emotion and pride into the pointless and immaterial.Some fans prefer to see "their team" live; so, they journey to its home city, which they often identify with and claim to be all about. Yet they would never live in that city because of, you know, the "high crime rate." After a couple beers, that might sound more like "because of the crazy Blacks." But, there they are, getting all hyped up for a bunch of Blacks running around a field in spandex, and watching in interest as they throw, kick, hit or carry an inflated ball. Unbelievably, people will even pay several hundred dollars to observe this activity from an insane distance instead of up close and in high definition, for free, on their television. Because it is so much better when surrounded by other people who "get it" - but what is "it"?
If you would ask, the "sports team fan" might break out in a rage - and, for some reason, that would probably be considered masculine "sports team fan" behavior. So is buying loud, macho bumper stickers to have on your car at the football stadium. Some might have edgy messages like: "Welcome to America: now speak English." Yet when football season ends and winter turns to spring, the "sports team fan" will begin his yearly migration to his other in-city stadium safe space. Here, he will break out a new set of colors and whoop with joy because some guy from Puerto Rico, who cannot deliver a single English sentence, can throw a few fastballs in "his" city. Yes, the "sports team fan" is an interesting breed.
