There are fans of many things. There are obsessive fans of many things, too. Fans of Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Star Trek, Comic Books, etc. all seem to get lumped together. I'd like to lump another group with them.
Sports fans.
Well, while sports fans aren't considered as "nerdy" as other fans, the truth of the matter is that they're NERDIER. Don't be fooled. All the stereotypes are in place here, folks. A geek with a Star Wars collection is a nerd. We all know that, but a jock with a sports infatuation is a really loud and obnoxious nerd.
Comic book nerd guy:
Football nerd guy:
So you tell me. What's the difference? There isn't any difference. They're just as obsessed and "weird" about their "hobby" as the other. I've also had the argument, "Well, sports have cheerleaders and the that makes it more "manly" than Comic Geek behavior.
Like the comic convention world hasn't had it's share of women volunteering for stereotyping:
I think I can make a fair assessment of the issue, too. While I've never painted myself up for a comic book convention or a baseball game, I attend the Wizard Universe Convention every year in Chicago, and I'm a die hard Chicago White Sox fan. I live both lives, but I've never gone "the extra mile" to make myself look like I need a job while enjoying said activities.
I just wanted to say, now that football season is underway, that if you're painting yourself up for a game, you're no different than the nerd at the comic convention. I think society as a whole has taken on the Star Wars/Star Trek/Lord of the Rings/etc... nerds on a regular basis. I think that society needs to recognize the extremists that are glorified in sports fandamonium. Nerds are nerds. Well, unless you're this guy... then you got real problems:
