Fantasy Fanatic

I think another topic related to sports that is deserving of attention is the betting/gambling component. For example, my boyfriend right now is obsessed with watching every professional football game to see how many points his chosen players accumulate to see if he won the bet for the week in fantasy football. Also, appropriate in timing, the World Series are being played and every day on Facebook I see people placing bets on the winner.

Gambling in sports has been a component since the development of organized sports. In my research of social class and sports, I found that the first organization, the New York Knickerbockers that developed baseball as an organized sport in the 1840s, developed this out of gambling. And it wasn’t until they realized that they had a higher chance of winning more money, that they invited lower-class citizens into their group.

I think investing, betting, or gambling money is a huge factor in defining a “fanatic”. Would I consider my boyfriend to be a fanatic? Yes. He bets his hard earned money on football players, but since he watches so much football, he feels confident in not losing that money.

Also, my boyfriend has special rituals and superstitions when it comes to watching sports. For example, when Notre Dame plays he has to be at home watching the game in his Notre Dame attire. He will not watch the game until he is wearing all parts of his attire. These are his superstitions that he thinks will help his favorite team win.

Time, emotions, money— these are all the things that are invested in sports which up the ante in being classified as a fanatic.