“You’re not a real fan, you just think the players are hot.”
I have gotten this line so many times it’s annoying. Growing up in a Chicago suburb, there was always a sport on my television, with my dad being such a big fan. My parents even got me baby fan gear during my first football and baseball season. The adorable pictures are below.
Wasn’t I the most adorable cheerleader?
Basically, sports is something that has always made me happy. There have been times where I rarely watch it, mostly during a period of time when I thought watching sports would make me less of a girl. Turned out I was wrong; I discovered in high school that sports are an amazingly fun thing that bring everyone together, and even relieves some stress (minus playoff season). I love the rush I get when watching a game, and even in my “I’m too girly” phase, going to games was something I thoroughly loved. The older I got, the more of a sports fan I became.
Which is what brings me to the point of even writing this article. I get people saying “you just think the players are hot” all the time, and I admit I have been guilty of that before. I have had crushes on athletes when I haven’t given a crap about their career; I just thought they were hot (*cough* David Beckham). I never claimed to be a fan, I just said I thought he was attractive.
I think a lot of professional athletes are attractive. I’ve always been attracted to athletic guys, it is natural that I am attracted to professional athletes. I think players who aren’t on the teams I’m a fan of are hot, so going by the logic that I “just think the players are hot,” I’d be a fan of pretty much every team out there (*cough* Patriots), which is far from true.
One of my favorite teams is the Chicago Blackhawks. I have been a fan since I was a little girl, and I remember going to a game in a nearly empty United Center. Hockey is a rough sport; watching it pumps up my adrenaline, and it’s a rush like no other. I have the team schedule saved on my phone, so if a game is on and I’m not watching it, I’m constantly checking the score. I check the standings among other teams to see where the Hawks stack up weekly. Sometimes, especially during playoff season, it stresses me out. During the Western Conference Final against Anaheim in May, I developed pains in my shoulders from tensing up so much during games. I am a very anxious and emotional person, so getting worked up over something I am passionate about is pretty normal. I would say this is all normal fan behavior, I have friends that are even more extreme than I am, and there’s nothing wrong with it.
With a lot of the players being young and attractive, it is very natural for me to develop crushes on a player, or five. Jonathan Toews is my favorite player, has been since I was in high school, and of course I have a crush! Let’s be real, how could I not?
*Swoon*
*Double swoon*
I have written about my admiration for him before, and you can read about it here. If you can’t tell, my admiration goes past looks. I would like him just as much, and every other player on the team, if they didn’t look the way they did. I admire character and talent. If I just thought the players were hot, I wouldn’t be constantly checking scores when I’m not watching the game. I wouldn’t be checking the standings once a week, and I sure as hell wouldn’t be freaking out during a game if I just thought the players were hot. I do these things because I am a fan, black and red until I’m dead.
