Sports Fan of the Year Poll
Ralph Dannheisser
There are strong elements of regionalism and tribalism in sports fandom — it’s easy to fall in love with the team represents your home town, the team that your friends and family root for. But when you’ve been a baseball fan for as long as 78-year-old Ralph Dannheisser, the economics of sports and the meandering path of adult life can present some obstacles.
Dannheisser first fell in love with baseball and the Brooklyn Dodgers as a 10-year old in New York City. However, the Dodgers weren’t necessarily the favorites in his neighborhood.
“It was strange to have three teams in the same city. That’s never happened since and never will again, I guess,” said Dannheisser in a recent phone interview. “Most of my friends were devout Yankee rooters or committed Giant fans, but I ended up with the Dodgers to begin with. Jackie Robinson came up in 1947, and I became a fan in 1948. He was immediately one of my heroes, I had his picture up over my bed.”
For Dannheisser, the love of the game and the attachment with Robinson began with aesthetics.
“I don’t think at the time I was aware of the significance of him breaking the racial barrier,” said Dannheisser. “It was his dynamism as a player, the stolen bases and the .342 batting average, the fact that he was the sparkplug for the team that had guys on it like Duke Snider, Carl Furillo, and Roy Campanella.”
Ten years later, Dannheisser would watch as the Dodgers moved all the way across the country.
“It was disquieting, disturbing, disastrous. I had been a fan, at that point, for about ten years. It left a void. I tried to stay with them when they went, but I found that much more difficult to do. In fact, I explored becoming a Giants fan because they had dragged the Giants with them. But it left a serious gap in the stuff that was occupying my life.”
Four years later, the New York Mets were born and Dannheisser found a new outlet for his baseball fandom. It was a lean era at the team’s beginning but it took just seven years for the Mets to win their first world series, something Dannheisser remembers well.
“I was work at Chase Manhattan in downtown New York and I was in the throng at the delirious victory parade through Wall Street. Just the ticker tape and the whole thing, that was just a great event, seeing Tom Seaver riding by in an open car.”
After two years in New York, Dannheisser relocated to Washington D.C. where he threw himself into rooting for the Senators. As with the Dodgers, Major League Baseball seemed determined to avoid him and it wasn’t long before that team was headed to Texas to become the Rangers. What followed was a long period of wandering in the baseball fan desert, until 2005 when the Montreal Expos came to Washington and became the Nationals.
As far as he’s concerned, Dannheisser has found the last baseball team he’ll ever need to fall in love with, even swapping out his METS4ME vanity license plate for NATS2U. He organized a season ticket group and has been passionately cheering on the Nationals ever since.
Dannheisser was there for the highest and lowest point of the Nationals organization so far, which both happened to come during the 2012 NLDS between the Nationals and the St. Louis Cardinals.
“I was at the fourth game when Jayson Werth hit the magic home run that won that game. And then I was at the final game when they were within inches of winning the game. I was standing in the aisle with my camera, waiting to take a picture of the final strike. And somehow, batter after batter, the strike never came. Ultimately, the relief pitcher blew it and St. Louis won it at the end.”
For a fan who has seen wins and losses, World Series championships and teams swapping cities, the only thing to lean on is a positive attitude and the belief that things will find a way to work out. As Dannheisser says, “there’s always next year.”
Daniel Gomez
There are season ticket holders, and then there’s Daniel Gomez. It’s important to distinguish the two, because Daniel is so much more than a fan who attends 40-plus Chicago Bulls games every year.
A lifelong Bulls fan who has been watching the team since a kid during the Michael Jordan era, Daniel has been a season ticket holder for over five years. Daniel never misses a game, usually leaving work in downtown Chicago with whatever Bulls jersey he plans on wearing before hopping on the Blue Line on his way to the United Center.
Before the current renovations, Daniel would go through the same entrance (Gate 6) so that he could pass by MJ’s statue, hoping Jordan would bring his team another victory.
“Every time I pass Jordan’s statue, I think of that scene from Gladiator when Proximo kisses the feet of the statue of Mars and asks it to bring him fortune,” Daniel told FanSided.
Daniel shows up early before every home game so that he can watch the players warm up and catch up with the employees, most of who he’s gotten to know by name after spending so much time at the arena.
Daniel never misses a game, and fondly remembers a number of classic moments from Derrick Rose’s buzzer beater in Game 3 of the 2015 playoff series against the Cleveland Cavaliers to the Bulls snapping the Miami Heat’s 27-game win streak in 2013 to the iconic Jordan shot to win his sixth NBA title in 1998.
Home games aren’t the only place you’ll find Daniel. He’s gone to 10 different cities to watch the Bulls play away games, with plans to visit a few more this season. Daniel even won tickets to Game 2 of the NBA Finals this past season and showed up in full Bulls gear, sticking out as much as Marlins Man.
The Bulls have helped Daniel through a number of tough personal moments, much like any sports fan. While his brother-in-law was battling cancer, the Bulls were able to win their first ever Game 7 on the road against the Brooklyn Nets in 2013 despite dealing with a number of big injuries, playing without guys like Rose, Kirk Hinrich and Luol Deng.
“Listening to Tom Thibodeau talking to his players during that game help us a lot,” Daniel said. “It was a lot about dealing with adversity, and that’s something that stuck with us.”
Outside of the game, Daniel is always engaged with the Bulls. Whether that’s making trips to their Summer League contests, attending fan events or even engaging with players and other fans on social media as BullsFanDan, Daniel is always staying engaged with his team.
What makes Daniel one of our Fan of the Year finalists is his incredible loyalty to his team. While the Bulls aren’t the powerhouse that they used to be during the Jordan Era, Daniel is at United Center for every home game or even at an arena like the Staples Center just to watch his team compete. Loyalty is one of the most important qualities in a true superfan, and Daniel has showcased his loyalty year in and year out for his Bulls.
“Wherever they go, I go,” Daniel said.
Dave Edlund
Dave Edlund loves baseball. His favorite way to enjoy the national pastime? With a radio in one hand and a kayak paddle in the other.
Edlund, 60, is enjoying early retirement. After making his career at Hewlett Packard, the Oakland, CA native has made McCovey Cove his part-time job, fishing baseballs out of the China Basin. Having followed the San Francisco Giants since the summer of 1963, Edlund is committed to the team and the sport. He’s now living out his childhood dream of listening to baseball on a warm summer’s night without a care.
Edlund has been attending Giants games since 1967. The first time he watched a game in person, Willie Mays and Hank Aaron both hit home runs, spawning a love of the long ball inside of him. Combined with his mom’s love of baseball and his father’s passion for kayaking, the combination was a match made in San Francisco heaven.
“I listen to the games on McCovey Cove,” Edlund said. The young people don’t have patience to do it, but that’s natural for me. Plus, the radio is a live feed. So when the announcers say the balls going deep to right, I know I have about five seconds before the ball hits the water.”
The statement speaks to the seriousness in which the two-time Freedive Spearfishing national champion approaches his baseball-catching craft. Since AT&T Park opened in 2000, there have been 148 baseballs hit into the water, with approximately 110 doing so without the aid of ricochet. Edlund has captured 28 of those home runs, 18 of which are true splash hits (no bounce).
Edlund has secured more splash hits than any other fan in history, earning the nickname “McCovey Cove Dave.” He’s lauded by the team broadcasters and right fielder Hunter Pence among others, with Pence following Edlund on Instagram.
However, getting this level of acclaim was more work than luck. Edlund has catching home runs down to a science.
“I move around depending on where the player has hit on every home run in their career,” Edlund said. “I draw a scattergram and an overlay of AT&T Park. I then look for tendencies. History tends to repeat itself. I start paddling before I see the ball. If I’m in the wrong position, I’m the first person to move in my kayak. I look at the people in the stadium with mitts because they will fight their way towards where the ball is leaving the park.”
Edlund goes to around 50 percent of the home games per season, preferring to enjoy day baseball. On weekdays, the longtime swimmer and kayaker usually faces five competitors for home runs, while the weekend presents anywhere from 20 to 50 rival kayaks.
For Edlund, the choices of which games to attend are based both off the aforementioned crowds and his data. For a man who makes an hour-long pilgrimage to the stadium from his home in Los Gatos, CA, every factor counts.
“I use statistics to figure out when the home runs are going to happen, Edlund said.” I use math as an advantage, the warmer the air temperature the more likely the home run, along with less wind. I go to most all the day games.
“All the regulars are friendly, but when a home run comes over, it’s every man for himself. It’s very competitive and I’m the most competitive. I go before the game and catch batting practice balls, and give those to the game. During the game, I’m focused. We treat it like a sport.”
For Edmund, there is more to baseball and the experience than trophies made of leather. It can be a source of healing and helping, for those going through a tough time.
“The Giants have special days each year, where they have a Cancer Awareness days at the park. I try to support different events. Pink is basically the breast is basically the breast cancer color but it’s a cancer color all can identify with. I paint baseballs pink that I’ve gotten out of McCovey Cove and when the fans come to the park, I throw them up from the cove.”
Ultimately, fandom is more than the game. It’s about enjoying the experience and enhancing it for others. In this respect, Edlund stands above the rest.
Sean Kerley
When it comes to fans of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers you won’t find a fan with more passion and dedication for the team wearing red, pewter and black than Sean Kerley.
He was born in Tampa Bay where he lived until he was 10 but remains connected to his hometown through the Buccaneers. He doesn’t credit any family members or friends for introducing him to the team but found himself attracted to the team when Tony Dungy was the team’s head coach. Sean loved the defensive powerhouse Dungy built and cites Derrick Brooks, Warren Sapp, Simeon Rice, John Lynch and Ronde Barber as the players he adored the most.
He credits their hard-hitting defense that was always flying to the ball and making offenses cower in fear for inspiring his playing style when he was a middle linebacker in high school. He also took inspiration from the team’s losing past when they were perennial underdogs and was inspired by their tireless work ethic to get better.
Things eventually got better for the Buccaneers and Kerley was with them through the transition from Dungy to Jon Gruden who led the team to the franchise’s only Super Bowl victory. Sean knew that was going to be a special year and was telling anyone who would listen to him that something amazing was about to happen.
“What an amazing year that was to be a Bucs fan! About halfway through that season, I was telling my friends, “This is their year.” Nobody believed me. No one thought they were gonna get deep in the playoffs because they are the Bucs.”
Despite the critics trying to downplay his enthusiasm, he remained as loyal and optimistic as ever and knew the Buccaneers top-ranked defense would dominate the Oakland Raiders and their top-ranked offense led by MVP Rich Gannon. After all, the old adage in the NFL is defense wins championships and that rang true when the Bucs raised the Lombardi Trophy.
“I watched that game with a friend who was a Raiders fan. I think somewhere in the third quarter it became obvious that Tampa was walking away with it. I tried not to gloat…but I failed!”
The Super Bowl win was the pinnacle of Kerley’s fandom but he hasn’t taken that moment for granted during the team’s recent struggles. He appreciates the great moments and knows they won’t always last, but he knows to keep the faith and realize things shift in sports and they’ll return to their former glory soon enough.
While he waits for Jameis Winston, Mike Evans, and his current favorite player, Kwon Alexander to lead the team back to the Super Bowl, he is very superstitious on game days.
“I don’t wear any Tampa gear on game day because it seems like that jinxes them. I’ve tried before, and they usually lost when I did. I sit on my couch and eat whatever I’m lucky enough for my girlfriend to bring me because it’s all about the game for me. I won’t go to the bathroom until a commercial break and won’t even answer the door. I watch every Tampa Bay game on NFL Sunday Ticket from beginning to end.”
Kerley knows his memories of Buccaneers past and present will never leave him and neither will his most prized Buccaneers possession. He received a signed letter on Bucs stationery from Gruden thanking him for his military service when he was stationed in Iraq. “That means more than any jersey or helmet ever could,” Kerley said.
Kerley is hopeful one more year of growth for Winston and a healthy roster next year will result in the Buccaneers making a deep run in the playoffs. He’ll be with them win or lose because he’s always going to root for the Bucs and thinks the biggest win for that franchise this year will be his winning the FanSided Fan of the Year.
From Tampa Bay to fighting for our country in Iraq to Virginia where he currently resides, his love for the Buccaneers has never changed despite his address in a constant state of flux. The one constant is the Buccaneers and Kerley’s deep-rooted love for the franchise he first fell in love with as a kid.
