Misenheimer 1

Will Misenheimer
Professor Arnold
UWRT-1101-073
7 December 2015
Ethnography Report Final
Forrest Gumps mother once told him, Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know
what youre gonna get. While at most any type of sporting event, I can assure you that you are
liable to be exposed to anything. I once heard profound wisdom from a manager at the Charlotte
Motor Speedway prior to a volunteering stint; he told us, You will see titties, and you will see
drunk men. From managers uprooting and throwing bases, to the drunk, the culture of sports
and its fans is certainly an interesting one, in which you never know what youre gonna get.
To most people, sports are nothing more than games, but to its fans, athletic competition
is a form of war and needed sense of release in which boundaries are drawn and blood is shed. I
can recount several embarrassing, defensive remarks made from the UNC Charlotte student
section while performing the first stage of my research. Would you rather the He literally threw
a punch. He should be ejected!, or the Youre the thundering turds on the bench!; pick your
poison. Since my career as a baseball player on a competitive team has come to an end, Ive had
the pleasure to experience life as a spectator and compare fan behaviors with the nature of the
athlete. During the midst of athletic competition, the athletes are typically respectful towards one
another, while there are the occasional hot-heads or smack-talkers, commonly connotated as the
instigators to a situation. However, I discovered Saturday, October 31st that the same cannot be
said for its fans. As stated by the Youtube documentary, Obsessed- a documentary about

Misenheimer 2

football and its fans1, sports fans are naturally defensive and territorial. I witnessed this
protective nature during my primary research at the UNC Charlotte football game, with many
defensive comments such as, Your mascot looks like a turd! Following the actions I observed
during my primary research stage, I pondered about the nature of the defensiveness of the fan.
The students in the UNC Charlotte student section, much like any average sports fan, had been
exposed to the stresses and grinds of the previous week, desperate for a release. According to the
Youtube documentary, to sports fans, athletic competition is that needed release. However, it may
not just be the sports jockies who display defensiveness with their actions during an athletic
contest. During the fourth quarter of the Carolina Panthers road win against the Tennessee Titans
recently, Cam Newton, the quarterback of the Carolina Panthers, celebrated a 2-yard touchdown
run by dabbing, a specific dance which Newton exaggerated for ten seconds. A mother, who
was in attendance with her husband and daughter, felt compelled to construct a letter to Mr.
Newton informing him of her daughters view of his dancing4. Citing images such as Newton s
chest puffs and pelvic thrust, the mother told him that her daughter, who is 9-years of age,
asked questions such as Do you think he knows he looks like a spoiled brat? Many athletes,
such as San Francisco wide receiver Torrey Smith responded by arguing that Rosemary Plorin,
the mother who wrote the letter, was using her daughter as a means to express her own views. In
other words, Smith believes that Plorin, a very well-mannered, respectful fan, was using Cam
Newtons alleged excessive celebration as a means of expressing her agitation following a loss
and defending her territory as a Tennessee Titans fan by attacking the Carolina Panthers
quarterback. This is a case where many, including wide receiver Torrey Smith, argue that the
outcome of the game influenced the rosemary Plorins judgement of Cam Newton and his
celebration. Therefore, when the score is not necessarily in favor of the sports fan, it is

Misenheimer 3

understandable as to why the fan may lower him or herself to a position of targeting individual
players and spiteful chants.
In chapter 5 of Joe Queenans True Believers, Queenan discusses Fans Who
Misbehave. During my study of the UNC Charlotte student section at the UNC Charlotte vs.
Marshall football game, I felt an abrupt, repetitive thump on my left shoulder. As I turn to
identify the source of my annoyance, I heard a student say, Hi, Im plastered! While
plastered is a term used also by non-sports fans, it depicts a high level of intoxication. This is
very similar to Joe Queenans personal experience, in which he witnessed an intoxicated woman
moon, or flash her buttocks, her best friend to get a laugh. This evidence further supports the
notion that athletic competition is a release and an escape from the stresses of reality. In another
chapter of Queenans book, the topic of Fans Who Love Too Much is presented. Queenan
discusses his profound love for sports, yet he feels that his involvement in athletic competition
may have slightly hindered his ability to be the best father that he could be. However, in a study
done by the Seattle Times, avid sports fans are proven to usually be much happier and feel less
alienated3. Just as I witnessed during my primary research study, fans use athletic competition as
a means of release and social facilitation. While the man who approached me to inform me that
he was plastered was certainly misbehaving, he was also engaging in social interaction with
others, by approaching me, and releasing emotionally with the use of alcohol.
In the same study done by the Seattle Times, domestic violence, heart attacks, and
wreckless driving have all been linked to and connected with the results of athletic competitions.
This statistic is used to display the negative effects that undesired outcomes of athletic events
inflict upon the sports fan. While most people view sports as a side activity, in which not much

Misenheimer 4

dedication is given, sports are tribal to sports fans. This unparalleled dedication of a fanatic to his
or her team is shown through the negative effects triggered by a poor outcome to an event.
In contrast to the fans who misbehave, there is also the group of innocent fans, usually
consisting of a small family with young children, who purchase their tickets and cheer on their
team, but may never display any negative body language or actions throughout the course of the
contest. As the Marshall vs. UNCC football came to a seemingly neverending close, long after
the defeated and defensive fans had exited the stadium, a young mother, with her daughter of 6
years or so, walked up and sat a few rows in front of me. The little girl, completely oblivious to
the score of the game, told her mother that she wanted to be a cheerleader, just like the girls
brandishing the green and gold pom-poms from the sideline. No bad words or inappropriate
behavior, just a mother and her daughter trying to enjoy a Charlotte 49ers football game. Why
Sports Fans Are Sports Fans by Tim Urban argues that families, even those who do know show
an extreme, political taste for sports, enjoy making the trip to catch a ball game because studies
show that it encourages greater family bonding5. Therefore, if a family were to attend a football
game, or any athletic event, simply to encourage family bonding and create another family
memory, it would be inappropriate and unnecessary for fans of this caliber to exhibit behavior
depicted in Joe Queenans book True Believers.
Just because some fans may be better-behaved than others, doesnt mean that we cant
place these sports spectators into interesting categories. While there exist spectator positions such
as the texter, the coach, or the guy whos just his because his friend had an extra ticket8, Ive
had the chance to witness a few other intriguing mannerisms from well-behaved fans. The first of
the observed spectator personas would be the superstitious fan8. While at the UNC Charlotte
football game, following the lone touchdown of the game for the Forty-Niners, one of the guys in

Misenheimer 5

the UNCC student section shouted, Nobody move, these seats are working, which is basically
a superstition that if the seating arrangement is altered, bad luck will curse the team until a
seating arrangement that works is found. From experience, the superstitious fan is usually a
male. He is also usually the jokester in his clique. The superstitious fan is a classic and usually
knows how to make everyone laugh, but dont doubt the legitimacy of the superstition, because
its very likely that while it may be perceived as a joke, he is usually serious. The second of the
classifications of well-mannered fans at the UNCC football game would be the girl who
pretends to care8. This one was very rampant. As young college women toured the stadium, I
could not help but wonder that they most likely knew hardly a thing about the game that they
were about to watch. I could just picture the false things that each girl in cowboy boots and a
black dress would say to her boyfriend in an attempt to sound knowledgeable about the game.
The girl who pretends to care is usually a very loveable person, just not very interested in the
game at-hand, which is understandable; athletic competition isnt necessarily for everyone.
Lastly, the final interesting categorization that may be made of specific, yet well-behaved fans at
the Marshall vs. UNCC football game would be the guy who calls players by their first name.8
This particular categorization may be funny at times, but it may also be very annoying. As UNC
Charlotte wide receiver Austin Duke made a one-handed catch to gain roughly 15 yards for the
Forty-Niners, my friend Matt made the comment, Did you see Austin make that catch?! First
of all, Matt is not close to Austin Duke. When spectators refer to athletes by their first name in
instances such as the one that occurred at the UNCC football game, it gives the false implication
that he or she and that athlete are good friends. It can be particularly annoying, so unless you are
literally on a first-name basis with the athlete, dont be the guy who calls players by their first
name.

Misenheimer 6

However, with the conclusion of the well-mannered fan comes the introduction of my
personal favorite, the analyst. While ESPN may be the most appropriate representation of this
form with its round the clock, 24-hour sports coverage, an analyst may be anyone who loves
observing, criticizing, and discussing sports. The majority of the professional analysts at the
UNCC football game resided in the press box across the stadium; however, I had a very informal
analyst in Derrick, my good friend who greatly loves sports and sat next to me, discussing the
actions of the game as they unfolded. While I feel that this category may best describe my habits
as a sports fan, I do not feel that I am an ESPN analyst. I greatly enjoy the discussions my
father and I have regarding ESPNs First Take featuring Skip Bayless and Stephen A. Smith.
However, I sometimes feel that the level of detail that is displayed on the network is unnecessary
and excessive. My good friend Jim Rogers, a history teacher at the high school from which I
graduated, once posted on facebook a picture that depicted a news anchor saying, Remember
kids, if you ever get frustrated, just remember that its just a game. Now lets see 24-hour
analysis of a 2-hour game. This visual depicted perfectly the meaning behind the poor name that
Fans Who Love Too Much, as Joe Queenan referred to it, have earned. Just as politicians tend
to become loathed over time due to their notorious behavior to stretch the truth, sports analysts
usually earn a bad reputation due to the nature of their job, which is to analyze and criticize the
actions around the sports world, which as stated by Jim Rogers Facebook post, is just a game.
Despite the known fact that athletic competition is one of the greatest releases and has been since
the days of the gladiators, sports analysts are often times judged for the lack of liability and
meaning that is associated with their jobs6. This is not only seen on the professional level, but
also at home, in the non-professional environment. As I turned the television to the Charlotte
Hornets game, my girlfriend said to me, Why do you waste your time watching sports? While

Misenheimer 7

sports and athletic competition is seen as a release by many, others may see it as a pointless,
waste of time that does not offer a true contribution to society6. There are analysts, such as Joe
Buck, who are disliked for their lack of emotion, yet there are also sports junkies such as Chris
Berman or Dick Vitale, who annoy people with their excess of emotion7. The perspective that the
outside world holds on sports junkies such as Joe Queenan and analysts is very critical and often
political, yet it is certain that these junkies attain a love for sports and athletic competition that is
unparalleled.
Whether its the surprising welcome of a plastered student at a football game, or the
clapping of a young fan, when it comes to predicting the specific actions of a sports fan, chances
are they both exhibit territorial tendencies, but you really never know what youre gonna get.

Misenheimer 8

References
2

Queenan, Joe, True Believers. New York: Henry Holt and Company, 2003. Print.

Stone, Larry, The psychology of being a sports fan. Seattle Times. 15 February 2014. Web.
15 November 2015. <http://www.seattletimes.com/sports/the-psychology-of-being-asports-fan/>

A Tennessee mom to Cam Newton: Heres what my 9-year old saw. The Charlotte Observer.
17 November 2015. Web.

Urban, Tim. Why Sports Fans are Sports Fans. Wait But Why. n.d. Web. 5 December 2015.
http://waitbutwhy.com/2014/03/sports-fans-sports-fans.html

Zarnick, Gene. Sports Are Meaningless, at Least Thats What Everyone Tells Me. Bleacher
Report. N.d. Web. 6 December 2015. <http://bleacherreport.com/articles/626806-sportsare-meaningless-at-least-thats-what-everyone-tells-me>

Nachman, Corey. The Ten Worst SportsCasters on the Planet. Business Insider, n.d. Web.
6 December 2015. < http://www.businessinsider.com/10-worst-announcers-in-sports2011-7>

15 Types of Sports Fans At Every Game. Culture. 21 November 2014. Web. 6 December
2015. http://www.craveonline.com/culture/791679-15-types-sports-fans-every-game

Misenheimer 9