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 /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
6 of 8
Next
May 22, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; ESPN television personality Stephen A. Smith (left) and sportswriter Brian Windhorst (right) prior to game two of the Eastern Conference Finals of the NBA Playoffs between the Atlanta Hawks and the Cleveland Cavaliers at Philips Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
May 22, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; ESPN television personality Stephen A. Smith (left) and sportswriter Brian Windhorst (right) prior to game two of the Eastern Conference Finals of the NBA Playoffs between the Atlanta Hawks and the Cleveland Cavaliers at Philips Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports /

5) Turn off ESPN

Do it. For the sake of your sanity and intelligence, do it. Studies show that sports fans who stop watching ESPN gain upward of 35 IQ points after only two weeks of avoiding the network. (Studies also show that a majority of people who use the phrase “studies show” are lying, but that’s neither here nor there.)

(Studies also also show that people who makes “studies also show” jokes are hacks.)

Yes, if you like watching live sports and want to continue to do so for the foreseeable future, then you will have to turn on ESPN at some point. It’s inevitable, unavoidable. But still: You don’t have to watch a single second of any of their horrendous, brainless talk shows in order to stay “informed” about sports. There is, after all, this fancy newfangled thingamajig known as — *checks cue cards* — “the internet,” which means that you are under no obligation to listen to Skip Bayless and Stephen A. Smith if you want to figure out what people are saying about the latest NBA Finals game. (For example, there’s a website called “FanSided,” and it’s full of more sports information than you can shake a stick at. Perhaps you’ve heard of it?)

Is flipping on ESPN convenient? It sure is. It’s predictable and comfortable, like a one of those fast-food burgers that you bite into knowing full well how hollow and sad you’ll feel an hour after finishing it. Just as “you are what you eat” when it comes to food, “you are what you consume” when it comes to sports infotainment, and if one day you are just strolling down the street and find that you somehow possess a strong feeling about Tim Tebow — he’s still a thing, right? — then you should probably take the hint, escape from ESPN’s clutches, are start receiving your news elsewhere.

Next: 6) Stop treating sports as if they are separate from society