Fansided

7 ways to be a better sports fan

By Stu White

Jun 9, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Fans cheer prior to game three of the NBA Finals between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Golden State Warriors at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 9, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Fans cheer prior to game three of the NBA Finals between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Golden State Warriors at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports /
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Jun 6, 2015; Carson, CA, USA; A general view as the Los Angeles Galaxy fans cheer from the stands during the first half against the Vancouver FC at StubHub Center. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 6, 2015; Carson, CA, USA; A general view as the Los Angeles Galaxy fans cheer from the stands during the first half against the Vancouver FC at StubHub Center. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports /

1) Be patient with new fans

As we’ve talked about before, feeling like an outsider is no fun, and sometimes sports fans take their sheer levels of expertise, gained over years of rapturous viewing, for granted. When you’ve been watching basketball since before you could say the word “basketball,” it’s hard to remember what it is like to approach the sport as a novice. And unfortunately, diehard sports fan don’t always create a welcoming environment for the newbies.

So if you’re a self-proclaimed expert in your sport of choice, don’t punish new fans (or younger fans) for lacking the wealth of knowledge you possess. It discourages new fans from participating in conversations, and is overall just a jerk-y thing to do.

When it comes to accepting and nurturing new fans, patience is vital. If you’ve watched basketball for decades and appreciate all the intricacies of the game — thus your favorite players are guys who do “all the little things” that help a team win — don’t mock new fans for being drawn to the explosive, highlight-making, marketable players. It’s only natural that a novice will be more enamored with a spectacular, jaw-dropping player than a technically-sound, boring one, and there’s nothing wrong with that. I mean, you wouldn’t yell at a child for not appreciating the nuances of Citizen Kane, would you? How dare you not understand the way light and shadow are being used to convey meaning in this sequence! See, it’s ridiculous, yet sports fans do this all the time.

Of course, as unwelcoming as longtime sports fans can be toward new fans, there’s another brand of “hardcore” fan behavior that’s even worse…

Next: 2) Stop being rude to opposing fans