Whether you’re on the court or the field, one of the worst things that can happen to an athlete is having a bad game when fans are watching. Imagine, you are missing all your shots, free throws, or keep hitting it into the net, and from the bleachers, you hear a rude cheer coming from the opposing team “superfans.”
“Superfans” are a great support to teams when they are hyping you up, but what happens when it’s the other way around?
One of the biggest components of “superfans” at school is the student section. The student section is made up of students who gather together to cheer on their team. The other component of “superfans” are die-hard fans of professional sports who are also there to support their team.
Both of which most of the time, are bringing down the other team at the same time. There is always going to be good and bad when it comes to anything, but in this case, the whether “superfans” are good or bad is debatable.
First the positives.
“Superfans” foster spirit. Senior Karolina Eykman says, “The fans really pump me up and make me want to play better.” When you know you have a whole group of people who support you, not only do you want to make them proud, but you want to prove to them it was worth their time to come out and support your team.
Seeing athletes smile when they get the point and having their friends, family, and fans there to cheer them on is so special.
When a whole school or community comes together to support a team, it can promote community building. During the round of Sweet Sixteen, for girls’ soccer state games, I heard a parent on the opposing team say, “Wow they really got the entire town of Sutton out here.”
During that game, I talked to several people I do not normally converse with and to go along with that, my dad has been to many Bruin’s games and has made so many friends with fans and staff there that he talks to each time he is in attendance. In the fan section, you put your other problems aside and focus on supporting your home team, which creates a bond with your fellow peers and community.
From a teacher’s perspective, Ms. Taylor says, from the few games she has been to for school, she enjoys the fan section when they practice good sportsmanship, but when they don’t it creates problems.
Fan sections are often a place that sparks negativity. When “superfans” are really into a game, they often start yelling out rude cheers. A few examples of this are “Who’s your barber” (talking about their haircut) and “Hit the weight room” (talking about their physical build). All of these cheers can not only affect the athletes’ playing but also their mental state.
When chants like this start, they are shut down quickly by staff/the athletic directors, but their chant can leave a mark on the athletes, especially because a lot of the cheers shouted have nothing to do with how they are as athletes, but instead their appearance.
Additionally, coming from a student/athlete perspective, these chants are obviously not okay when coming from students, but when a parent or adult is seen chanting these or singling out certain players it is completely inappropriate, one because of the age difference, and two because the parents should be mature enough to know not to engage in them.
Granted when it comes to professional athletes, the cheers are a lot worse because there is no one stopping them, but the players are so far away that they aren’t as affected by them.
I talked to a few students at Sutton High School who play various varsity sports to get their views on negative cheers. Senior Addison Jerome (soccer) says, “Honestly, playing an outdoor sport I can’t really hear them. There is so much going on around me, so it is easy to block them out.” Senior Ryan White (basketball) said, “The cheers don’t really bother me; it just makes the game more intense.”
While all the students I talked to said the cheers do not bother them, everyone is different and no one reacts to a situation the same.
“Superfans” can also create inappropriate behavior. Bar fights, screaming matches, and rude remarks are often thrown out between the opposing team’s fans at professional games and sometimes at college and high school sports.
In the end, “superfans” are there to bring support to their team, and it’s on them whether or not they choose to display good sportsmanship or not.
