Sports fanaticism is one of the most interesting phenomenons in our society; while it is very common for people to love sports and competition, and seeing who the best champion is, the lengths and extremes some go to in order to support their favorite team or athlete is impressive at its best and hilarious at its worst.The average sports fan supports their favorite team in several ways. Some just watch games on TV and keep in touch with the latest sport news. Some go see them live from time to time and buy T-shirts from different sites. However, others are more extreme and like going to great lengths to prove that they would do anything for their favorite team. In the United States, basketball is one of the sports with the biggest number of fanatics, but football is definitely king.
By simply considering the extent to which football betting has climbed, especially now with the World Cup going on, when all fans are looking for USA v Germany 1×2 predictions or tips on any other remaining match of the group stage, you can get quite a clear picture of how much people love sports. In what follows we are going to present you some of the most interesting traditions sports fans around the world love. These traditions are way above the habit of watching sport news in front of the TV or going to live matches. They come from all types of sports, and were born out of the incommensurable love for physical performance.
Admiring the human body and challenging its limitations have been part of who we are for a very, very long time; no matter what everyone says, people love hierarchies, and they love to tabulate and label everything. That being said, here are some fun traditions sports fanatics have developed over the years:
- Detroit’s Lucky Octopus – Since 1952, the Detroit Redwings from NHL have the wonderful tradition of throwing an eight-tentacled octopus on the ice rink. The tradition began when the team only had to win eight playoffs in order to win the championship, and it was started by brothers Pete and Jerry Cusimano. Since then, tens of octopi have been thrown on the ring, but don’t worry, they were never alive. Each year, those in charge with throwing the octopus receive that year’s specimen, including a pamphlet on how to boil it for half an hour.
- The First Heckler – Heckling athletes during a game is something common amongst those very passionate about their sports; they get angry, happy, sad, and passionate along with the players, they feel every moment of the game and live with intensity every crucial moment. However, the No.1 heckler has to be Robin Ficker, a fan of the basketball team Washington Bullets. For twelve year, Ficker had season tickets right behind the visiting team’s bench, and yelled all sorts of things at the players through his megaphone. He made fun of coaches, read passages from books and distracted the players any way he could.
- Real-life Mascots – Dressing in your team’s colors and purchasing all sorts of paraphernalia in order to show your support is another common occurrence in the world of sports, but some managed to take it to extremes, and even make an art out of this. Certain sports fanatics put so much hard work into their outfits that they started being considered the unofficial mascots of their teams. One example are the Hogettes, mascots for the Washington Redskins of NFL. The founder was Michael Torbert who dressed in his grandmother’s tea party clothes and started taking them to the games; his outfit was loved and admired, and soon a whole team of Hogettes was created.
- Playoff Beards – Ever since the New York Islanders of NHL won the championship three years in a row from 1980-1983, various hockey teams and even their fans give up on their razor blades during the playoffs. Sometimes fans get into arguments about which player has the best beard and which the worst, and sometimes this is used as an opportunity to raise money for charities. Recently, sports like football or tennis have adopted this bearded tradition.
- The Vuvuzela – No matter how little you know about sports, you still should know about the vuvuzela, this trumpet-like instrument which originated in South Africa. There, the vuvuzela has been used during games since the 1990s, but in recent years it has swept over sports fanatics all over the world. The vuvuzela is usually made from metal, but in order to be sold at games and be safer and easier to carry, it is mass-produced from plastic.
These are just five of the most interesting traditions sports fanatics have come up with along the years; few things are as amazing as seeing what people are capable of doing for the things they love. Who knows what the future reserves in matters of performance support, and what new crazy things sports fans will come up with?
