Fans: The Heart and Soul Of Sports

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Azeez Adekunle


In sport, apart from the athletes and stakeholders, there remain the fans—the heartbeat of sport. The impact of fans in every sport cannot be overstated. Through their unending passion, they bring life to games. Their chants, cries, and cheers of excitement create a buzz that livens the mood of a sporting competition. Without the fans, sporting events would lose their broad appeal. If one watches a football match played behind closed doors, one would understand the significance of having fans in the stadium. The dancing, shouting, and chanting have a powerful effect on the game itself.

Fans drive the reach of sport, either in the mainstream or at the grassroots level. The power of their social media engagement helps to improve team publicity far and wide. Even in places where the teams were not known, having a single fan in these areas brings visibility for the teams. Fans’ interest in sport creates multimillion-dollar revenue for teams. Through ticket sales before matches, the buying of team merchandise, and the enormous TV rights deals between teams and media companies, fans contribute to the financial growth of sports. For instance, players in sports become superstars with the support of fans.

The likes of Michael Jordan, Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Tiger Woods, and others—who are global icons in sport—have fans to thank for their immense popularity and fame. Because of the following they possess, they have the power to negotiate lucrative sponsorships, endorsements, and advertising deals worth millions of dollars, which in turn brings wealth to the players and increases the visibility of their sport franchises. While fan support leads to economic and financial growth for players, it also elevates them to godlike status. It feels surreal when fans meet their favorite player or idol. Some start to cry, and some can hardly believe their eyes. While some ask for autographs on clothes, hands, and balls, others go as far as getting tattoos of football idols on their bodies

Teams and athletes do not take fans for granted. They respect their unwavering support and loyalty to the game. Their joy, roars, and cheers inspire them to victory. After every defeat in a game, players appreciate their fans by applauding them, showing that their presence is felt, and expressing sorrow for the team’s woeful performance. In the case of a win, players appreciate the fans for being loyal and steadfast in their support for the team.

Players and teams even go on their social media platforms to apologize for any wrongdoing toward the fans. An example would be when major teams like Barcelona, Real Madrid, Chelsea, and Manchester City, among others, planned to create the Super League to rival the Champions League. Fans demanded that these teams withdraw from the proposal. The teams listened to the fans’ demand and publicly apologized for their misconduct. This shows the extent of fans’ power in deciding sports affairs.

Just like in mainstream sports, grassroots sports are also fueled by fan support. University competitions, which can be categorized under grassroots sports, gain importance from people’s participation. Apart from the players, the team, and the organizers, fan involvement determines the success of a university tournament. The University of Ibadan’s fan community, an ever-burgeoning one, has had a tremendous impact on sports growth in the university environment. Students from each department in all faculties make up the school’s fan base. During sports competitions, students troop out to watch their department compete against another. Their shouts and chants embolden their department’s team to go all out for victory against opponents.

For example, Theatre Arts students, during a match with the European Studies department in the Faculty of Arts Dean’s Cup, unleash their inner theatrical display, drumming, singing, and calling on the God of Victory to let them be victorious over their opponents. This spurred the fans of European Studies to reply with a song of their own, calling for the defeat of Theatre Arts.

This scene makes football a spectacle to behold. In another way, fans (students) initiate rivalries between department teams. Students boast of the capability of the players they possess in their team and their ability to beat any department team in a sports competition. This leads to rivalries, which only a matchup can end. At times, the defeat of a fierce opponent turns into banter for fans, who use the opportunity to have fun and relive moments of triumph, further solidifying bragging rights over a defeated department team.

The Philosophy department in the 2022/2023 Seals Cup enjoyed undiluted fan support. The students, most especially the girls, painted their faces, brought placards, and shouted at the top of their voices for every spectacular movement made during the game. When it seemed like the game was out of reach, they kept chanting to give the team the support needed to see out the game. Their support paid off as they went on to become the champions of the competition.

Agbetuyi John, widely known as Papi, philosophy department skipper, notes the importance of crowd chants, cheers, and how it helps the team overcome their familiar foes in the finals, ” Well, it feels good (obviously). It gives us extra reason to continue to fight and push even when it seems like everything else is against us. An example? SEALS Cup final ’23, we were down by a goal for most of the match but our fans remained the loudest, eventually we got the equalizer at the last minute and went on to win in penalties”. This attest to the effect fans can have on a game, and it is not a Surprise that till today, the Philosophy department still has the most loyal fan base in the university of Ibadan

Oluwatayo Ogundare, a Communication and Language Arts (CLA) department football player also recognized fans chants and cheers as a source of motivation, which has the ability to bring out the best in players, and he went further to highlight a situation where the power of fans support changed the tides of a game, “It’s always an exciting moment for players. Playing on the field and seeing people cheering for us is a great source of motivation. For me, whenever I see fans from my department, it ignites a spirit of “you-can-do-more” in me because everyone is watching, and I need to perform at my utmost best. Yes, I remember a particular moment during the Dean’s Cup. First half, we were two goals down against AIS, but then our fans arrived and started cheering us on. Their support changed the course of the game, and we scored three goals to clinch a remarkable victory over AIS”.

MBBS also enjoyed fan support and loyalty in competition. Students from the University College Hospital (UCH), which is far from the University of Ibadan’s main campus, came to support their teams during sports events like the Seals Cup, Super Cup, and Interhall, among many others. MBBS fans were crucial to their team winning the 2023/2024 Seals Cup, beating the Industrial Petroleum boys (IPE) in a penalty shootout. The fans during the finals shouted at the top of their voices and also carried placards that bore inscriptions like “Ibadan Medicine Boys For The Win.” Students from other departments who came to watch the final showed solidarity with their favorite team among the contestants, and some even missed lectures to grace the event.

Fans are, without doubt, the heart and soul of sport. They bring passion, energy, and excitement to the game. Their loyalty, creativity, and emotional investment are what turn simple athletic performances into something magical. As the year comes to a close, it’s crucial to take a moment to celebrate the fans, the unsung heroes of sport, who make every match, game, and competition more than just a contest. They are the reason the game lives and breathes. Without them, there would be no sport.

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