Baseball has been called America's favorite pastime for years, greatly because of the dedicated, unyielding, and undisputedly passionate fans that come back year after year to support their favorite team. With Opening Day upon us, fans all over the country are beginning to prepare themselves for what this 2016 season may bring. Players may have been traded, stadiums may have gone under renovation, however, one thing you can always count on seeing at a baseball game are these special types of fans:
1. The concession stand's revenue.
It's not a day at the ball park without grabbing a dog or some Dippin' Dots and no one knows that better than this fan. Each inning it's a new snack so being next to them means getting up every time they have a craving so they can pass.
2. The wave starter.
This fan is by far the loudest and most energetic in the place. He's a party to sit next to, but a bummer to sit behind because you won't see a thing.
3. The umpire's echo.
These fans can see that the pitch was inside the strike zone from the third tier of the stadium better than the ump could whose a foot away from the catcher...obviously.
4. The odd couple.
Outside of the stadium, these two are best buds. Inside the stadium, they're rivals. There is no harsher trash talk than that between friends.
5. The paparazzi.
They may not know who's on first, who's pitching or even who's playing; but you can bet that all of their Instagram followers know they were at the game.
6. The bonus outfielder.
This guy was the star of his Little League team and sometimes forgets that he peaked during those years. He'll do whatever possible to play some part in the game but little does he know he just stole the ball from his own team.
7. The scene stealer on the big screen.
The camera guy always seems to find the cutest munchkin in the ballpark to plaster onto the big screen. Too bad as everyone coos and awes over the cutie, someone on the field makes a super important and once-in-a-lifetime play.
8. The Tumblr couple.
These two fans are absolute goals. By the end of the nine innings, you'll be shipping them so hard it hurts and wishing you had something as sweet as that.
9. The suits.
Also known as the, "I got front row tickets from work for free so I guess I'll go for five innings even though I really don't enjoy baseball," fans. Needless to say, the die-hards stuck in the nosebleed section usually resent these fans.
10. The daddy's girl.
When there's an adorable little girl on the big screen, there's usually a baseball-loving daddy who brought her there. Little does that girl know these memories at the park with Dad will be some of her most cherished.
11. The day-one OG.
Half the stadium knows this fan. Hell, half of the team knows him. They've been coming to the park since before they can remember. They've been there for every brawl, every no-hitter, every walk-off. Everyone envies this fan and wishes a little bit that they were this fan, for their love of the game is so pure.
There are many aspects of a ball game that keep you crawling back to the park each season, from the cotton candy, to the seventh-inning stretch, to the smell of the freshly mowed grass. However, it is undeniably true that sitting back in those rickety seats amongst a body of people equally as in love with a team and a game as you is the definition of bliss. Fans may be amplified, energetic, and in your face, but they are an important element to the ballpark experience, and without them, it just wouldn't be the same.
