By Ashleigh Buchanan, staff writer
Webster’s dictionary defines fanatic as, “marked by excessive enthusiasm and often intense uncritical devotion.”
We all know people who show “excessive enthusiasm” about their favorite sports teams. Everyone has a different level of adoration towards his or her favorite teams, but where does this love originate? I asked some SNU students why they root for their favorite teams and these students had a variety of answers.
Clay Milford grew up in Oklahoma, so being an Oklahoma Sooners fan is a way of life. He has had OU Football season tickets since he was twelve, and every September to January his life is scheduled around their games.
“My friends and I would go to the games by ourselves, go to the tunnel to high five the players after the game, and then sneak onto the field to play football after every game under the lights. I ruined so many pairs of jeans, but no amount of chastisement due to my ruined jeans could have taken away from the joy of running down Owen Field imagining I was playing in front of 85,000 people,” Milford wrote in response for a request for comment from The Echo.
Taylor Greenhill’s NFL allegiances come from his homestate ties as well. Being from Houston, he has been a fan of the Texans since they joined the NFL in 2002.
Greenhill’s other favorite NFL team is the Indianapolis Colts. His loyalty to the Colts lies in their rookie quarterback, the first overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft, Andrew Luck, who Greenhill went to high school with.
Greenhill was on the basketball team with Luck and says, “It wasn’t uncommon for me to guard him in practices. I’m not trying to brag, but I did block his shot in practice my sophomore year. It’s been amazing watching him succeed at Stanford and even crazier to watch him play in the NFL.”
Kenzie Redwine also has favorite teams based on her favorite player, Peyton Manning. She started cheering for the Colts when she visited family in Indiana, and since then has been a fan of Peyton Manning. Since Manning has moved to the Denver Broncos, she now considers herself a fan of them as well.
Nathan Tucker is a Washington Redskins fan because he was born in Bethesda, MD and wanted to stay connected to his roots. Tucker has a lot of Redskins memorabilia, including jerseys, replica helmets, and lanyards. His devotion has spread to the walls of his room at home, which are painted maroon and gold. He has a big Redskins logo on one wall.
Some people’s favorite teams are not based on home state pride, but rather simply liking the team. Bradley Toone first saw the Kansas Jayhawks play basketball when his grandparents took him to a Big 12 Basketball Tournament in OKC.
He was already a big basketball fan, and really liked the KU players and especially liked Coach Williams. Toone has been loyal to the Jayhawks ever since, has even met their coach, Bill, Self, and says he “will always represent the blue and red with pride!”