There's a Reason Why "Fan" Is Short for "Fanatic"

Talk to virtually any die hard fan of any sports team - college or pro - and that fan will tell you about some completely non-sensical, illogical, and absurd superstition he or she has to support a team. There's a reason why people are called "fans," and the title of this blog pretty much shows that. We do really stupid things to show support of our teams. I am no exception.

One of my major superstitions in showing support for my teams is to refuse wearing the team colors of my team's opponents. For instance, if the Ravens are playing against the Steelers, I will absolutely not wear black and gold on the day they play one another. Or if the Orioles are playing the Red Sox, I won't wear red. Every now and then I'll catch myself wearing the colors of my teams' opponents, and I'll feel sincerely guilty about it. I have to wonder if I somehow cursed my team by wearing the opponent's colors.

All that leads me to the Ravens in the playoffs this season. I have been a Ravens fan since I had first moved to Maryland 11 years ago, and I quickly understood the superstitions fans have. I stayed home for their first playoff game against the Patriots, which they promptly kicked in the teeth. I wore my Ray Lewis jersey and focused on the game entirely while sitting on my couch, enjoying every moment of it.

The win meant the Ravens had to travel to Indianapolis for the divisional round. I then faced a dilemma. Do I stay on my couch, recreating my positioning for the Patriots game as much as possible, or do I travel up to Baltimore to hang out with my circle of friends and party with them for the game? In the back of my mind, I sincerely had feared I would be cursing the team in part by not doing the exact same thing I had done for the first playoff game.

And what happened? The Ravens lost the game. Badly.

I know this superstition makes no sense. I know that explaining it to anyone else makes me sound like a lunatic. I know that my whereabouts or clothing I'm wearing on a given day has absolutely no real effect on my teams. But that's also part of the fun of being a fan. And there are plenty other fans out there who have their own superstitions, I'm sure. It's a time-honored tradition, and I look forward to passing my crazy traditions to the next generation.