Being a fan of anything is an interesting process. It stems from the word fanatic and there are times when you realize that is very apropos.
For myself, I am a big fan of four things: Phoenix Suns, Indianapolis Colts, WWE, and Star Trek. These are the four things I would say I am the most into, but there are many other things I enjoy immensely as well including Star Wars, anything comic book related, collecting sports cards, and the list goes on…
Being a fan can be very rewarding in the pleasure it can bring you. Watching a great wrestling match, enjoying a Star Trek marathon, seeing the Colts and Suns win, etc…can bring an immense sense of joy. Collecting merchandise that ties into these things can be very fun as well.
Sometimes being a fan can provide some sad moments as well. Watching your favorite team lose is simply not fun. Even though it shouldn’t, it can slightly ruin your day when your team gets knocked out of the playoffs. With fiction it is quite different since it is essentially make-believe. WWE is story line driven and the outcomes of matches are pre-determined so even if your favorite did not win you know they will win again soon and are happy if the match they lost was at least highly entertaining. They may kill off your favorite character in Star Trek, but there will always be new characters to come along and become your new favorite.
There are downsides to this fandom though. I consider myself well balanced and knowledgeable enough to get over things quickly, but some people are the complete opposite. They become so obsessed they cannot function normally in life. They stalk their favorite athletes or actors. They do not have the ability to function normally in life without those things they enjoy. Sometimes these individuals just do not know what to do with their lives without these ‘things’.
I consider myself a very well functioning fan. When my teams lose it bums me out for a bit, but I get over it pretty quickly. I am able to find the most joy in my family and being able to share the things I love with them puts a huge smile on my face.
I do wonder what it would be like without my favorite things. I would have more room in my house and more money in my bank account, but I cannot help but think things would be a little more boring. I do not ‘need’ these things, but I do get a big smile on my face watching the next Star Trek movie or seeing the Phoenix Suns win a big game.
What is nice though is knowing that without this stuff I would still feel immensely satisfied and happy with my life since I have my wife and daughter by my side. Without them things would be much different and not for the better. Enjoying things is fine as long as you have bigger priorities in life.
Being a fan is okay, just don’t become a fan-atic!