Underlying Sports Fans' "Terms and Conditions"

By R. Thomas

We all have sport stars we look up to, be it to serve as inspiration to work harder on a daily basis, or to envision what we could become by giving it our all. Sport fans now a days, those which support entire teams or a specific player often feel like they must sign underlying terms and conditions to be considered "true fans", and I'm not talking about those people which know only about a players current team status, I'm talking about those which know about all of their past relationships, the amount of goals they scored, what they eat on the daily, what their relationship with their current coach is like, the amount of points they have scored... I could keep on adding to this list for the entirety of this article, but let's get straight to the point... What are the top 5 craziest things sports fans have done? Read along to discover or even use this as inspiration to prove your true love and admiration for whoever your sports star may be.  
1. Living in a stadium: Have you ever complained about camping with your family or maybe even going on the Duke camping trips? Now imagine sleeping in a tent for 81 days! This was the case of the Philadelphia Phillies super fan, Dennis Hagy also known as "wild Bill". "Wild Bill" in 1990 with only a tent, a sleeping bag and a belief and admiration for the team, climbed up Veterans Stadium and swore to only leave once the Phillies long winning streak was broken. Through heat and rain Dennis camped for a straight 81 days! Unshakeable. Fans brought him food, radio stations check up on him and even the Phillies themselves acknowledged his determination. Would you do the same? Maybe even break Dennis's record and sleep for a whooping 82 days in Morumbí's stadium?  
 
2. Tattooing championship predictions: Overly optimistic fans are crazy enough to tattoo their teams prediction for a championship before a single game, in one of the most permanent displays of their loyalty for their team. Some get lucky like the legendary Clevland Cavaliers fan who tattooed "2016 Clevland Cavaliers NBA champs" before the season ended, and against all odds was lucky enough to be right. While others end up with an embarrassing display of false hope engraved in their skin.  
 
3. Requested their ashes to be spread over a stadium: Who would have guessed being a super fan isn't only about supporting your team while living but also when dead. Multiple Fans have indeed requested their ashes to be spread onto their teams stadium, maybe hoping that their ghostly self-will lurk around the stadium and still be able to watch and support their teams even in the afterlife.  
 
4. Turned their entire home into a tribute: Wearing your team's jersey maybe even painting your face the color of your team simply isn't enough sometimes! Sometimes what is needed is a full house transformation, walls, sofas, bathrooms, gardens, everything, everything as a tribute to the team you support. Imagine having your whole house purple and yellow as a display for the Los Angeles Lakers, or instead dark blue and red for the Barcelona football team. Could you imagine marrying someone who insists on having your whole house painted a specific color simply to praise their sports team?  



5. Legally changed their names to support a team: Some fans, since they can't have their dream about marrying their sport star come true,  they decide to change their name to support the entire team. One man became "Dallas Cowboy Fan" and yes, that was his first and last name (why stop at only changing their last or middle name right? Who would be foolish enough to do that?) Can you imagine asking someone's name at a party and they answer with "hi I'm Chicago Bull, nice to meet you", or maybe having a new English teacher called Mr. Yankees!