Interesting observation

Here is an interesting observation of myself, a huge fan.

I am friends with some athletes. My expectations for them are different than the athletes I am not friends with but root for. It's really funny what being a sports fan can do to you. For example, the ones that I am friends with, I want them to have fun and enjoy their lives. It's ok if they go out and have fun, I see them as people, as friends.

The athletes I am fans of I think of differently. I think of them as a teammate..because their team is so important to me. It's really funny, for them I never expect them to have fun unless they win a national championship, because then you should celebrate. Rather, as a fan I expect that they will do nothing but work on their game, and stay in shape. As a fan of a team that had a bad season I would expect to find them on the practice field or court every Friday and Saturday night. By not doing that I feel like I am being let down by a teammate. My mind views the players I am fans of as a teammate because we want to reach a common goal...to be champions. (this might be a hard concept...but fans want to win almost as much as the athletes themselves...fans take losses hardly...there is a reason many fans won't pick up the newspaper or watch sportscenter after their team loses)

Sometimes a fans perception of reality is a little skewed...seriously...fan...fanatic.

It goes back to the balance theory (yes I am applying something I learned) You want to win, you didn't win, you go out and have fun... My mind can't logically understand that. Something has to give in order for that to make sense. It's different for friends though...your my friend, you want to have fun, you go out and have fun... That makes sense. My mind can logically understand that.

It's funny, the ones I am friends with I expect to relax and chill out on a Friday and Saturday night no matter what happened during the season. You never get to see them and you think they should get a break. They've worked hard enough, it's just that the ball didn't bounce their way.

It's funny how differently you can see things when you are a fan of a team or friend of them. I think there is a real difference.

Another observation I have is how you want to recruit nice people. Really you want people with good characters who represent the team well off the field. These people make you think highly of your program or team when they are in public. However, at the same time you need them to be really mean on the field. It's tough to find the right mix...really nice off the field and really competitive on it. I obviously think Maya Moore has the perfect balance of nice and competitive.