Sport’s Stuff

By GARY ARRINGTON Sports writer

Fans are funny! They see what they want to see, not necessarily what actually occurred on the field. As such, they often do things that they normally would not do under normal circumstances but then again these are not normal circumstances. These are ball games.
It is not very often that we go to athletic events as totally neutral observers. Whether we like it or not, we all usually have our own little biases that cause us to behave not like our mothers taught us. In other words, we act like dingbats. I had to use dingbats because the editor of this fine newspaper would not have printed the more appropriate word that would have more accurately described our actions at such times.
The other night for example, I chose to sit right at mid court at an Emery basketball game. At mid court, you can actually hear the fans that support both of the teams. This can be quite amusing. This is where one can really understand what I am actually trying to say. This is where one can hear two very contrasting opinions about the same play that occurred on the floor where sometimes neither are right. Neither actually saw the play, they saw what they wanted to see.
I know in my previous life, I was a fan that my family would not sit by because of the loud mouth that I was blessed with. I figured it was my right, I had paid my money, I had a ticket and now I was free to express myself however I felt appropriate. I was wrong but unfortunately I did not realize it for the longest time. I did not understand the fool that I could sometimes be. I was blinded.
Fans are blinded by their loyalty to their team that they support. While this might be a positive it can actually be a negative at the same time. While it is admirable that we are there to offer support, some fans negate that with their propensity to be too loud mouthed.
I know that we all think that umpires, referees or any other arbiter of a game are blind but contrary to popular belief, most actually do a pretty good job. Almost all are fair and try to do the best job that they can. Are they perfect? Well, are any of us perfect at any thing we do? No, I didn’t think so. But it is very rare that an official causes a win or a loss.
At times, I have heard fans offer their unwanted opinions of coaches, players, opponents and even other fans. This is usually not a good thing. For whatever reason, we as fans think that we have a better understanding than those down on the field. This is usually not true.
While I do not think that we, I mean you, can change overnight, I would encourage you to actually think about it, to make a new year’s resolution to change. I have found games to be much more enjoyable when I sit back and cheer and enjoy rather than working myself into a tizzy over things I do not control and things I actually might be wrong on.