This past Sunday, I was witness to another infamous Viking's "game." RandBall thought I was successfully doing my duty as Viking's team good luck charm as we drove to a local quipster's home, listening to the first quarter on the radio. However, the luck changed for the worst as we settled onto the couch for the rest of the game. Luckily, I had a one week old infant to coddle (local quipster's spawn), and was not too engaged in the game. However, for the two young men, it was a disaster. They resorted to eating their pepperoni pizza and badmouthing the very team they are fans of.
Which brings me to the topic of this post. Dictionary.com defines a fan (in this context) as: "an enthusiastic devotee, follower, or admirer of a sport, pastime, celebrity, etc." When that enthusiasm wanes, can we really say we're still fans? What is happening psychologically when we hang on to a devotion that gives us nothing in return? What makes a sports fan continue their devotion towards a particular team despite their consistent losses? What happens when we're caught wearing our Viking gear out in public after a terrible loss? Do we stand strong, and turn our noses up at the fair-weather-fans? Or do we hang our heads in shame- the shame that shouldn't be ours to bear- that should only be experienced by the team themselves?
After the game, I explained to a friend, "I thought I was the Viking's good luck charm, but I didn't work this time." Their response, "No good luck charm works for the Vikings." There you have it, folks. There ain't no gain in conjuring up another superstition to help the Vikings along- they just aren't a team that will use it.
Photo courtesy of: www.ximnet.com
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