FanSided Fandoms of the Year: What we were rooting for last month

FanSided’s Fandoms of the Year will be here in December to reflect back on what moved, excited and entertained us this year. But here’s a peek at what captured our attention in last month.

FanSided Fandoms of the Year is an authentic celebration of fan culture, bringing together the FanSided community of readers and writers to celebrate the teams, players, competitions, movies, experiences, actors, music, television shows, games and more that made us want to stand up and cheer in 2022.

Fandom is all about community, people sharing passion, joy, grief and triumph. In a world wracked by sickness, fear and uncertainty the things that connect us as humans have never been more important. This project is a way to celebrate and examine the things that bring us together, to recognize the transformative power of positivity and maybe even help people find something new to fall in love with.

The project is a curated list of things that moved, inspired, thrilled and entertained us this year, featuring 100 fandoms described, in-depth, by people who love them. This year, for the first time, the list will be unranked, putting all 100 fandoms on equal footing, highlighting how they are all worthy of celebration. However, we’ll also be highlighting 10 fandoms with superlative recognition in categories like “Most karmically-owed fandom” and “Most inspiring fandom of the year.” And, as in years past, we will be choosing one fandom as the FanSided Fandom of the Year.

As a lead-in to the final list, we’re releasing a monthly check-in highlighting five fandoms that were relevant or that we connected with that month. Here’s what we were rooting for last month.

What Fandoms of the Year were we rooting for last month?

We can start with 700 home runs. A number so few people have achieved you can count them on one hand. We can talk about his career — a career so long that it can step into a bar and purchase a drink. But really along with all that, this year’s about the comeback. His career looked over in Los Angeles — and just look at him now!

— Kurt Mensching, FanSided MLB Division Editorial Director

They had an All-Star team and coach and were the most exciting team in the WNBA from start to finish. They avoided the pitfalls of the past and brought Nevada its first pro sports championship. And how can you root against, Kelsey Plum and Aja Wilson two of the most fun and entertaining players in the league?

— Amanda Gildea, FanSided Graphic Designer

Shohei Ohtani is a unique two-way talent who continued dominating the American League on both sides of the ball. If it wasn’t for Aaron Judge chasing history, Ohtani would be the clear AL MVP and we’d have a lot more time to marvel at his continued brilliance.

— Aaron Somers, FanSided Senior Director of Contributor Operations

The first-ever live-action Lord of the Rings TV show, The Rings of Power, came out this year, bringing old fans back together and making new ones. And The Rings of Power isn’t just any TV show; it’s the most expensive TV show in history, so it got a ton of attention. It was great fun to revisit the old books and movies, to refresh myself on lore I hadn’t thought about in years, and to see how passionate people still are about J.R.R. Tolkien and the world he created.

— Dan Selcke, Winter is Coming Editor

It’s been incredible watching the team and city rally around Jalen Hurts and Nick Sirianni. Philadelphia eats, sleeps and breaths football. And for me, an Eagles fan who has never been to Philly, it’s made rooting for this team so much fun. From Hurts to Sirianni to Jonathan Gannon (gulp) to even the 53rd guy on the roster, they’re just so likable. They have the feel, and it’s made my Sundays that much better knowing I can watch them.

— Robert Murray, FanSided Senior Editor