Being a fan of something can be one of the most exciting and emotional things. There are so many different kinds of fans, such as those that are part of a book, movie, or TV series fandom (who I'm referring to as "fangirls" in this article), music fans, and sports fans. Regardless, all of those things still have one main thing in common: they're all just fans.
So, why are fangirls sometimes judged for what they love, while sports fans aren't?
I've never been much of a sports person. This usually comes as a shock to people, that I only occasionally watch sports and I'm not the biggest fan. It's never seemed like a big deal to me. I have just always loved investing my time and energy into other things like TV shows or books that I really love.
Over time, I've noticed that sports fans and fangirls aren't actually that different. Some might argue that sports are real life, whereas things like TV shows, movies, and books aren't. While that may be the case, when you look at it, they're still very similar.
Both fangirls and sports fans enjoy watching people entertain them. Whether it's in the form of running across a field or court or through a TV screen (sometimes both), these people we are watching are not only doing it for our entertainment, but it's their career as well. So, both involve real people who are just fulfilling their dream, and we get enjoyment out of watching that.
Both fangirls and sports fans can end up screaming at the TV. I've seen people get angry at football and baseball games, screaming at the players who make mistakes or screaming in excitement when their team scores.
Fangirls also scream at the TV, yelling at the characters to not do something stupid, or crying when a character dies. Basically, both get very emotional.
Regardless of whether you enjoy sports, books, movies, or TV shows, these are all also escapes from reality. Whether it's heading to a game or sitting down to binge watch Netflix, we all just want a little free time to watch what we love and get away from our real-life issues.
Also, both fangirls and sports fans have huge communities, so it's really easy to find people who share what you love. Meeting people who enjoy the same things as you is always a good way to make new friends and just to have a better time. In my experience, fans are always the best communities to be a part of, whether I'm at Comic-Con or a Chiefs game. Both are just full of people that are just there to enjoy the entertainment, just like you
In the end, we are all just watching what we love. Yes, one is considered more "real" than the other, but when you think about it, how different is enjoying people act on TV from enjoying people throwing a ball around a field? Deep down, we are all just crazy, passionate people. And that's what should matter the most.
