To raise funds for our missions endeavors, I, as well as the rest of the team work as supervisors of concession stands at the Georgia Dome, home of the Atlanta Falcons.
I have worked every home game this season and, needless to say, have seen a lot of people come though my stand. I have seen every kind of fan there is and while trying to feed the masses I have noticed something.
The people who come to football games are the same kinds of people who go to church.
Don't believe me? Here is a list of the kind of fans I see at the Georgia Dome, see if you can't see some similarities. Which one are you?
The Bromancer- Of course you love football, it's what guys do. Together. Your greatest memories have revolved around football with a bunch of your closest dudes. Yelling at the TV when the referee makes a bad call is all about joining your brothers in a call for justice.
Secretly though, you really only enjoy football to the extent that you do because you have friends who do. You have a real hard time watching the game by yourself because to you it is all about being with other people, not because you care about the team. If it weren't for the tailgating, the Sunday afternoon parties, or the fellowship you wouldn't be a fan at all. When your star quarter back makes a mistake that costs them the game you don't say anything, because your friends might think you are rooting for the other team. It's all about keeping the bros happy.
The Girlfriend- To be honest you have no idea what is going on. You gave up a long time ago asking questions because you figure you will never understand. You really don't even like football but you would never tell your boyfriend that, ever. So you clap and cheer at all the right moments, that is, whenever everybody else is clapping and cheering, just to make sure that your little pookie thinks you are just as excited as he is. It is not about the game, it is about spending time with that special someone who happens to be at the game.
The Geographically Convenient- You tried to avoid it but everyone in this city roots for the same team and is way too excited in expressing it. You are a fan because everyone around you is and you don't want to be an outcast. It is part of your culture to cheer for this particular team. Aside from it being expected of you, you really could care less about the game at all. Football is what you are expected to do because it is what everyone around you does, but it really isn't that important to you.
The Jerk- You are the easiest to identify. Everyone knows a jerk when they see one. You are the kind of guy that just yells at everything. You see a fan from the opposing team and just start yelling. Stirring up controversy is part of the game and you thrive when you get one-up on a stranger. Drama keeps the whole event exciting.
The Other Guy- You are a lot like the jerk, just a little bit more confused. You may not intend to stir up controversy but you do anyway because you deliberately wear a jersey of a team that is not even playing. Nobody thinks the cheese on your head is cute when nobody in the stadium has ever even been to Green Bay. Nobody is quite sure why you insist on always having opposing viewpoints on everything or why you are even at this stadium since you aren't cheering for anybody. You probably aren't too sure yourself but you know there is something these other fans have that you want.
The Megatron Lover- Your mission is simple: be seen. You have to be "that guy." You are the guy with obscene amounts of face paint and your own homemade costume. You are in a building with 70,000 plus people but you have to be the one who shows up on the Megatron, the godfather of all plasma TV's. You say it is all about the team, but you and I both know you want more people to notice you than they notice the game.
You have a female counterpart too. There is no way you would wear four inch heels and a mini skirt to go walk a mile around a cement building and climb hundreds of step unless you were seen doing it. The game is all about people knowing you are there and nothing else. Who cares what the team does, you are your own entertainment.
The Die- Hard- Rain, snow, sleet or fumble you are there for your team. You come alone, because you don't need anyone else to enjoy the game. You wait for hours before hand just because you want to. You don't buy into the hype around you, they are all one time ticket holders who don't know any better but you my friend, have season tickets and you use them to their fullest extent. It doesn't matter how many times your team blows it, you still return every single Sunday. Nothing can keep you from the game you love.
The Paternally Affectionate- You are the greatest of all the fans that step into a stadium. You are the little kid whose eyes fill with wonder when you see the size of what you are stepping into. You don't know the ins and outs of the game and you don't speak the language but you do understand one thing: Your daddy loves this game and you love him. It is only natural that you would love what He is so crazy about. You are just excited to be with your daddy doing the things he loves to do. That is enough for you.
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