Great Post, I wear my colors all the time, and when people say something to me about LSU! losing to Ole Miss, and during the basketball tourny, I have told them the same thing. I have told them that a true fan wears their colors no matter what, I don't like it when they lose, but I will always be a fan.
No one remembers "Superfan"? Surely someone here attended basketball games around '93 and '94 (I can't recall the exact year).
I remember him quite well. Good call. I didn't know he had a disability. I just took him for a regular idiot/ham.
Correct me if I'm wrong here, didn't he show up at some games in various outfits, like a cape or something?
Whining, complaining....I guess most of us are guilty of doing that. To me it is when you put on your teams shirt, and no matter how bad they are playing, it's that damn feeling of TIGER pride that overcomes you and makes you feel as if you are going to explode. True.
Yeah, I remember that guy and he may have worn a cape at games. I want to say his name is Mike and he definitely had some sort of mental handicap. He was (way) over the top passionate and went to a lot of games when the team was bad (mid-90's), probably entertaining the crowd much more than Landers Nolley, Roman Roubchenko, Duane Spencer, Misha Mutavich, Andre Owens (?), and that crew. My buddy and I went to the Mr. Gatti's buffet after an LSU 1 pt win over Michigan when they were decent and had Tractor Traylor. Superfan was eating by himself (which I do sometimes so I'm not knockin him) and really into Sportscenter that was on the big screen. He was half talking to the TV and half muttering under his breath about the other highlights they were showing saying, "Who wants to see this; let's get to the real game of the night; etc." When they finally showed the LSU highlights, he was back to being his over the top "passionate" self. There are fans of all kinds. As mentioned, some are priests and others pricks. To subdivide the pricks category further, some are loyal fans but just act the a$$ on gameday. Many of my good friends (and probably me once or twice) have had either a couple too many drinks and/or taken a loss in Tiger Stadium a little too personally. I'm typically a laid back person but LSU sports (esp football) can bring out a different person. I can't express the anger I've had for Gator fans after getting beat like a drum again and again in Tiger Stadium. That chant "It's Great - To be - a Florida Gator" makes my blood pressure rise 10X more than someone cutting me off in traffic. I'm the typical optimist as a fan but some of my friends can be negative :cuss: and it's usually just part of their personality. It doesn't make them less of a fan. I also don't really agree with the thought that true fans never leave games early. Some fans care so much about the game that they can't take the dissappointment. I have trouble listening to the post game show on 98.1 after a tough loss. The hosts are usually good but the callers over-analyze, whine, and just annoy me further. Travelling and attending games is used as a measuring stick too often also. If I didn't work and money was no object, I'd certainly go to many more away games. There's nothing more fun than partying with Tiger fans the Friday night before a big game on the road. Probably my ultimate goal in life is to retire one day and have an RV that I can take to home & away games as much as I want. I don't really hunt or fish like everyone else so that could be my "camp." While I'm babbling and since I don't post here much anymore (employer blocks access), I'll add one other thing. One thing that I think would eliminate you from being a "true" fan is if you dressed your kid in another rival's gear. All my 3 yr old is allowed to wear (college) is LSU. My dad's friend gave him some TX A&M baby clothes when he was born but I couldn't do that to the little fella. If my dad would tell me one day that he dressed me in A&M stuff as a baby, I'd think my entire life was a lie. Now, if my son becomes a fan of another team later, that's a little different. That also reminds me that I need to move back to LA country before the 'horns & 'aggies' brainwish my innocent little dude. If my wife (landscape architect) and I (industry CPA) could get similar jobs, we'd move back as early as next year. At least we're close enough now to visit often.
My english teacher in my freshman year in high school always said he was glad to see me be as loyal of an LSU fan as I could be. BTW: This is when I lived in OSU Buckeye territory. I guess he saw the flakk I had to take everyday from just about everyone ecspecially after the 2002 season, (OSU's run at the Nat. Champ.) We had a little class party for the win and it was nice to get out of classwork but, I refused to show any support to a team I really dislike. So anyway, LSU wins the NC the very next year and I'm on top of the world when I get to school until the first comment I hear out of my buddy's mouth was, "OSU would've beat them." So, I had to hear that crap for a while until 6th period with about ten minutes left. My freshman english teacher calls me to his room to "speak with his class about a project". So, anyway, I get to the room and they have a little surprise party for me, with a little LSU cake and other purple and gold stuff in the room. He told me that I deserved this for sitting through it the previous year and for being loyal to my team through thick and thin. SO, the lesson to this seemingly random story, being a true fan pays in the end.
