Fan (noun) – an enthusiastic devotee, follower, or admirer of a sport, pastime, celebrity, etc. There is a hidden meaning in the definition of fan. When it says enthusiastic devotee, it means one who is committed to following the team regardless of success or failure.

Sadly, many people in Middletown, as well as in the United States, seem to not understand the true meaning of being a fan when they label themselves one.

I don’t understand how people can call themselves fan while not even knowing their team’s record, or next opponent, or even part of the roster. Maybe it’s due to a decreased popularity of sports (the World Series had the lowest TV rating ever.)

Maybe over scheduling has led to less time to check up on favorite teams, or maybe people have bought into my personal cardinal sin of sports: wins = popularity.

I can’t stand accepting this reality. I can’t stand having to believe that some fans choose to root for a team (and who knows if they even root) based on how many times they win during a season.

I am someone who cannot be misinterpreted as a “fair-weather fan.” My favorite football teams are the Miami Dolphins and University of Miami Hurricanes. I began liking the Boston Celtics and Boston Red Sox in early elementary school (when both teams suffered some pretty awful seasons).

Last year the Dolphins won a grand total of one game. The Hurricanes were every bit as embarrassing, yet I stuck through with my teams. The Celtics had their worst season in franchise history.

 I was rewarded with championships, the Red Sox in 2004 and 2007 and the Celtics this past season.

Let’s look at an example: the New England Patriots. With Tom Brady at quarterback, they have won three Superbowls in six years. Last season, the Patriots flirted with history, a perfect record (only obtained by my ’72 Dolphins).

The Patriots survived the regular season unscathed and unchallenged, much to my chagrin. As these Patriots marched toward a date with destiny, I could not believe my eyes. I saw before me a transformation of allegiances the likes of which had not been around for some time.

I saw people in New England Patriots jerseys that had no business wearing them. One anonymous offender said they only wore the jersey “Because Tom Brady is hot.”

I was shocked, dismayed, disappointed, any word you could think of. I watched as my community, and likewise the U.S., slowly destroyed my opinion of sports fans. You may call me jaded, and in truth, you’d be correct.

As a true fan, at the basest meaning of the term, I had my heart broken by those Patriots. It was like a bubbling festering sore that finally burst.

Thankfully, these fair-weather fans were not rewarded. As if a higher power intervened, I watched David Tyree of the New York Giants catch that pass with one hand and his helmet and I saw the unbeatable Patriots lose.

The next day in school, I saw all those so – called Patriot fans catch “Giant fever.” I saw more Giants jerseys than I’d ever seen in my life. I saw so many, I thought they were handing them out at the door and I’d somehow missed the person. I wasn’t surprised. In fact I was bracing for it.

One more example of the hypocrisy that is sports came this season, early in the NFL schedule. The Dolphins beat the Patriots, snapping a 21 game regular season win streak. It would actually be more correct to say the Dolphins crushed the Patriots. It was never close, the Dolphins winning 38 – 18.

The next day, I was greeted by a sea of Dolphin green at school, and to be honest, I was so angry I couldn’t even speak. These hypocrites who were making fun of the Dolphins last year about not being able to win a game (though they beat the Ravens, a rather decent team) were wearing brand new Dolphins jerseys. They were Patriots lovers, then Giants lovers, now Dolphins lovers?

 I couldn’t take it. I couldn’t stand to see these people openly disrespect a team yet so willingly embrace it when they returned to national spotlight for good reasons.

There is one small glimmer of hope that I saw on ESPN when the Red Sox played the Tampa Bay Rays in the playoffs. I watched through the seventh inning as the Red Sox proceeded to give up seven runs to the Rays in a game that if they lost they’d be eliminated from the playoffs.

 I scanned the crowd (they were in Boston) and saw not a single empty seat. Just as I noticed this the announcers commented as well. Joe Buck, the announcer, said Boston fans were the best in the league, noting that no matter how bleak the circumstances the “Royal Rooters” kept on cheering.

 They were rewarded, with the Red Sox coming back from the largest playoff deficit in team history to win the game and stave off elimination.

There is hope for America. There is hope that one day it won’t matter how many wins a team has. But until then, I’ll have to stay mad at anyone who isn’t a true fan.