Sports fans who are gluttons for punishment
Last time, I asked you for a term to describe a “sports fan who continues to root for their team even if they are dismal.” I figured New England readers might be able to relate to this request around about now.
I figured right, though a few readers seemed to have trouble getting into the spirit of the challenge. Jack Finn, of Framingham, wrote: “Of course such a word already exists: loyal.” True, but . . .
John Mahoney, of Hanson, had a different problem with the challenge. His take on it was: “This kind of sports fan would be, by definition, a fanatic, which gives us the shorter version fan .Nota new word, however.”
Of course you’re right, John, that fan
is not a new word. But the BBC’s The Vocabularist isn’t so sure it is a “clipped form” of fanatic and proposes a different derivation that — unsurprisingly, since it’s the BBC — originated in England: “‘The fancy’ was a term for sport enthusiasts long before ‘fan’ first appeared in US baseball circles in the 1880s . . . . Though mainly applied to boxing, ‘the fancy’ could be followers of other sports, as well as interests ranging from book collecting to pigeon breeding.’”
This seems to be pretty much the way the noun fancier is used today — and who’s to say that a fan isn’t more of a fancier than a fanatic?
More fan words: Carol Anderson, of Reading, proposed faniac. Dave Edwards, of Peacham, Vt., came up with
fandelusional, which he defined as “always thinking your team will win, even though they stink.”
Jeff Pearlman, of Salem, suggested
fanaholic and admitted, “Patriot fans like myself fall into this category.”
Michael Katz, of Hopkinton, said: “I believe they are called Red Sox fans.” Jim Murphy, of Newton, amended that to Red Sux fans. Indeed, in case you didn’t follow the Sox this year: They ended the 2023 season with a record of 78-84, putting them in last place in the American League East.
Tim Alexander, of Framingham, wrote: “I’m sure I’m not the only one who came up with nextyearner for this type of sports fan.” Actually, Tim, you are. Laura Richards gave me “two words for this type of sports fan: my husband.” Richard Jensen, of Cohasset, coined catastrofan,
and Marjory Wunsch, of Cambridge, thought up fandumb. Ellen Julian, of Cambridge, suggested hopefool —or hopefueled if one looks at these team followers in a different light.
Carl Witthoft, of North Chelmsford, proposed fever pitchman, pointing out that his term was “shamelessly stolen from the wonderful movie [‘Fever Pitch’] about a Red Sox fan.”
Lauren Falls, of Melrose, wrote: “Being from New England, I have MANY years’ experience being part of the phenomenon of loving the team despite their constantly breaking your heart. As such, I suggest that current Patriots fans or other fans rooting for a less-than-stellar football or hockey team are goal-disoriented.”
I’d say the best and most all-purpose of these options is Ellen Julian’s duo of hopefool and hopefueled. Together, they cover all, or both, the bases of whether such fans are delusional or merely looking on the bright side. These two words are a home run! A slam dunk! Ellen wins bragging rights and my hearty congratulations.
Now Margaret Carver, of Somerville, writes: “We will soon be seeing dejected piles of colorful plastic littering the yards in our neighborhoods. What would you call a blowup Santa, snowman, etc., that has lost its puff of life-giving air and wilts into a forlorn puddle?” Margaret, how about if we broaden that out to include all sorts of holiday detritus that materializes at this time of year, whether or not it’s littering our yards? For instance, castaside Christmas trees, heaps of crumpled wrapping paper, wilted poinsettias . . .
Send your suggestions for this word to me at Barbara.Wallraff@globe.com by noon on the first Friday of the new year, Jan. 5, and kindly tell me where you live. Responses may be edited. And please keep in mind that meanings in search of words are always welcome. (For example, is there any aspect of New Year’s resolutions and their aftermath that you feel needs a name? Tell me!)