Sitting Next to the Average Fan: A Walk-Through and Reflection

(Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images)

Many of us on Bleacher Report like to consider ourselves as experts. Beyond just plain knowledgeable about our favorite team or sport.

But then there's the many fair-weather fans or simply average fans who believe that they can also uphold a sports debate without making a fool out of themselves.

Heh, that's oh so wrong. Many times have I encountered the everyday fan who approaches me and tries to challenge my Celtics-based opinions. Unfortunately for them, I'm usually able to easily ridicule them in front of their dear friends and peers. What's even worse is that I'm merely 13 years old. Well, worse for them, at least. To me, it's a bit humorous.

It sounds like bragging, but I'm sure many of you have had the same experience.

Not only to we have to deal with the constant heckling and jeering from the fan next to us, but we also have to put up with their ignorant comments about supposed "bad calls" and "bad shots."

Well let me tell you something, bub, I don't really care if the ref slipped up and accidentally blew the whistle. I don't really care if poor you is disappointed that Yankees lost because Alex Rodriguez struck out. And I especially don't care if you think you could do better.

Here's a couple examples of stuff that just drive me insane.

I'm at a Celtics game, and it's the first match between the C's and the Orlando Magic when Kevin Garnett is not in action. The Celtics have, so far, swept the Magic. And (oh joy), there's an extremely drunk 30-year-old behind us who's trying to impress his girlfriend.

The Celtics were down 20-plus at halftime, but they've managed to come back and cut Orlando's lead to three. The ref makes a bad call and Eddie House misses a desperation shot. The Celtics lost.

Apparently, the guy behind us who I was talking about is using the ever-so-popular tactic of dropping numerous F-bombs in an attempt to impress his lady friend.

"WHAT THE F*CK!? ARE YOU F*CKIN' KIDDING ME? YOU F*CKING REF, I HATE YOU! YOU F*CKIN' LOST US THE F*CKING GAME! F*CKKK!!!!!!!!!"

Ahh, memories. The girlfriend calms him down and he stumbles down the stairs (because, as I mentioned, he was slightly intoxicated) as the girlfriend, humiliated, guides him to the exit to leave the arena.

Just before halftime of that very same game, JJ Redick had sunk a three-pointer. To make matters worse, there were some people behind us that let everyone who was sitting in the upper balcony know that they were obsessed with Redick. Immediately after Eddie Palladino, the Celtics PA announcer, bluntly said "JJ Redick, for three," a roar erupted behind us.

It was the Redick fans, who clearly had not yet noticed that Redick was not a college basketball superstar anymore and that the Celtics weren't scrimmaging Duke in the 2005-06 season. They shrieked "WE LOVE YOU REDICK! YOU'RE AWESOME! WE F*CKING LOVE YOU JJ!!"

Once again, I'm guessing that these fans were a touch over the limit in terms of alcohol. And this was just halftime.

Later in the third quarter, after Redick had knocked down one mere free throw (out of two), the men continued to blab on about Redick and how he was "godly." I'm sure you can imagine my frustration. I wanted to turn around and let them know that the blue and white uniform he was donning was a Magic uniform, not a Duke Blue Devil uniform. I wanted to inform them that Redick was a draft bust, and is likely never going to rise above the "decent player" status he still doesn't even boast.

Good times, good times.

But although the fair-weather, imbecilic, and uneducated statements can be funny and/or amusing, they can also be extremely inappropriate. Both remarks from the morons above show the fan's true oblivion toward the game of sports. If you really think about it, it's peoples' need for attention and low self-esteem that prompt these things to come about. Then again, alcohol can certainly cause this as well.

The pair of comments both have profanity in them, one thing that really ticks me off. Although I, myself, don't mind it, I care about the younger children around me. I know, weird for a 13-year-old to be saying this.

But I mean the 5-year-olds are dragged to the game by their dads, even though they end up having a blast. However, just when the kid is finally starting to warm up to the game, the parent or guardian may take him/her to the bathroom, to avoid the crude and unnecessary actions made by the many (though not all, of course) asinine so-called "adults" we have in this world.

And is that fair? Should a child of that age be deprived of one his first basketball games because of the idiotic cracks some choose to make? A basketball game that might grow into something bigger; a lifelong favorite team perhaps? A team where you'd later like to express your feelings and opinions on? Maybe on a site such as—oh, I don't know—Bleacher Report? Isn't that how you all started?

Maybe it's just me.

Maybe it's purely the fact that I'm hard to please.

I want everything perfected.

Maybe I ask too much out of this world.

But if we can't shut our mouths for the better of a child (something that most others did for us when we were that age), what can we do?

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