Classification Terms for Sports Fans Defined

For years, I have always been fascinated by the different kinds of sports fans that exist in our society. Everyone that follows sports, even slightly, will fall into one category or another for sports fans.

Casual fan

A casual fan is a below average to average follower of their team. They will stick with their team, but will often not go to extremeness to follow them like to every home game. They will wear just enough team clothing to show you who they like. Most of the time, they only know of a few star players on their team, but not the entire roster.

Fairweather fan

A fairweather fan is one that only follows or cheers for their team when they are successful. Fairweather fans have no loyalty when their team is experiencing a down period record-wise, and will most often not show support for them as a result. These type of fans have been known to purchase team merchandise when the going is good, but not when all is bad. Furthermore, fairweather fans only show up for games when their team is winning. These are likely the easiest types of sports fans to identify because they either switch favorite teams or will all the sudden show up in that particular team's attire.

Homer fan

A homer is a fan who lacks objectiveness and an open mind about their own team. These type of fans strongly believe their team is invincible, and will often get confrontational with anyone who puts their team down or bashes them. Homers will likely believe their team is superior no matter their record or the opponent they are playing. The good thing about homers is that they will support their team strongly, but can come across as obnoxious when talking about them.

Diehard fan

No matter how their team is doing, a diehard fan will always support them. A diehard fan follows their team religiously, and will not miss any games or news at all about them. Unlike a casual fan, the diehard will know every player on the roster, what position they play, and their uniform number, too. Some have season ticket passes, while others will pause their own lives to make sure they see them on television or in person. These type of fans are critical, but can also fully praise their team's performance when they are playing well, too.

Those are the basic classifications for sports fans. Some have questioned me and others over the years about the difference between a homer fan and diehard fan. It is true that both types of fans support their teams strongly. However, a diehard will fairly criticize their own team and have objectiveness to point out the obvious flaws when they are playing a strong opponent. A homer will criticize their team, but will still refute the fact that another strong team can defeat them. A homer is often times an obnoxious sports fan because of this, and a diehard will objectively backup a team they strongly dislike with an unbiased point of view when needed. That to me is the difference in the two.

For me, I most definitely fall into the diehard category of a sports fan. I will support my teams no matter what, but will be unbiased and fair when talking about them.