Sports fans and Fangirls: Whose Reputation is Glorified Versus Vilified
Hundreds and thousands of screaming fans fill the stadium. Merch honoring the main event is worn by those who watch in admiration. Faces are painted. Voices are shot. Glitter and confetti, or beer cans and discarded napkins litter the floor once all is done. Sports fans versus fangirls; similar in culture yet starkly treated differently.
By Wynter Muro
Sports fans and Fangirls are demographically different, 44% of sports fans are composed of men who range between the ages of 35-44 years old. Whereas fangirls are widely known to be made of primarily female identifying individuals who are between the ages of 14-23 years old. But when it boils down to it, is there really that much of a difference in the way the two display their enthusiasm?
Whether the drive is witnessing the winning touchdown of your favorite football team, or finally seeing the musician you’ve adored since you were a kid in your nearest city, the notion of “fandom” finds itself fitting in a variety of spaces.
Both groups tend to have a social media presence dedicated to those they admire. For sports fans, there are accounts across different media platforms that follow around sportscasters, teams and their players. Similarly, fangirls have curated a space known as “Stan Twitter.” Participating in stan culture means having an account that is solely dedicated to one’s idols and interacting with other fans alike, getting the latest updates on their favorites.
When attending sports games, sports fans are notorious for spending large amounts of money betting on the outcome of a game or by purchasing their favorite players’ merchandise. Some of them will be seen by cameras at these events, sobbing when their team loses, or cursing out other individuals near them.
Despite the fact that fangirls have similarities like spending mass amounts of money on tickets and concert merch, society ridicules them over sports fans. They are made to be ashamed of their excitement with it being classified as “insane” and “immature.”
Within the culture of extreme sports fans, it is an unfortunate known fact that towns are often left disheveled with fights having occurred throughout the stadium post-game. Speaking to the realm of fangirls, there is no violent craze such as that. Instead, it is a common sight to see girls walking closely together, limbs draping across each other as they tirelessly gossip of the experience after the concert. But still, only one of these groups will be seen as “insane.”
Fangirls deserve respect over ridiculement as they are the reason why some of these artists have platforms. For example, with the recent 2023 concert tours of Beyonce and Taylor Swift, the economy has seen an incredible boost. This is huge considering the impact COVID-19 had on concerts. It is the same essence that sports fans are what really fund stadiums through the large sums that they receive from ticket and concession sales.
The truth of the matter is, there are few differences between fangirls and sports fans. Society needs to toss the aged out caricaturization of fangirls. It is about time that fangirls stop receiving the short end of the stick and are given the flowers they deserve.