If you spend time talking with sport fans, or read about sports in the media; I think you will notice some interesting things about the way a sports fan looks at their team.

For instance, sports fans are always looking for the silver lining in their team.  No matter how bad the team is, or how badly it's managed, a fan will always point to an event that signals good news for their team.  If the team is really bad they will look forward to the arrival of a new athlete that will turn the team around.  Or maybe it is a new coach that gives the fans optimism.  Sometimes it is bad news from another team that gives them hope for a good season.  Whatever the reason, the fan is always looking for a reason to be optimistic about their teams chances of winning.  Everyone wants to support a winner, and any news that a fan can find that points to a better future for their team helps to validate their support for the team.

A fans connection to their team can be very emotional, usually it is tied to where they live.  It is common for the majority of people in a community to support a particular team.  People may feel intimidated or left out if they do not support the communities team so some people will gravitate to that team even if they do not have any other ties to it.  Whatever the reason for the bond, it can become very strong.  Many fans find it hard to root for another team even when they have become discouraged with their teams conduct and performance.  Some fans will resort to attacking fans of another team and the outcome of big games can even spark riots among the fans.  It is amazing what normally rationale people will do in support of their team.

One thing I find disturbing about fans is their attitude towards members of the team that are caught breaking the law, or committing some reprehensible act.  A fan wants their team to win and losing a star player or the head coach because of the above mentioned acts is very frustrating to them.  Most times, the fan will try to excuse the players transgression, justify it in some way, or dismiss the charges as false.  The fan is not motivated by some knowledge of the player that would exonerate them, but by their desire that their teams performance or reputation will not be impacted.  But if the player is from another team, then the fan believes the person must be guilty and should be punished.  They are motivated by the desire to see the other team suffer for the players actions. 

There is also another kind of fan that is more detached.  They are the fair weather fan.  The one that never really has an allegiance to any one team.  Instead, they root for the team that is currently the most popular or successful.  This kind of fan is motivated by the social status of supporting the, "right" team.

It should be clear by now that people tend to treat politics the same.  People tend to be very emotional about their political stance.  This can be shown in the foul language and personal attacks that goes on in many political blogs.  Their arguments can really be summed up as, "I'm a place your party here  and your not so place derogatory comment here."  Much like the fan that throws insults or gets into a fight with a fan of a different team.  There is no real reason for the behavior just an emotional attack against anyone who doesn't support their team(political views).

It is also true that the political supporter will focus on the things that their party does that they agree with.  The things that make them feel good about supporting the party.  But when it comes to the bad things about their party, they will ignore or dismiss the issue.

This analogy is also true in how people treat government officials that are caught in a scandal.  If the official is a member of your party, especially if it is going to make the party look bad, then you are more inclined to forgive and forget.  After all, it was just a misunderstanding.  But if the official is a member of the other party, then they should be punished!  And hopefully by punishing the other parties official, your party will have a better chance in the next election.  This can help explain why Congress seems to spend most of their time in conducting investigations against each other.  Whether it is Democrats or Republicans politically motivated investigations are just another part of the overall campaign strategy.  By doing this the political parties are trying to stir up their fans, motivate them to support the team and attack their opponents.

Like the fair weather fan there are also people that make political decisions based on popularity.  People like to be a member of the winning team, it makes them feel good about themselves.  So they wait to see who is winning and then throw their lot in with that party.  These people can be manipulated by the perception of which party is winning.  The political parties and their supporters are aware of this and try to exploit it when they can.  In the last two Presidential elections, the Democrats friends in the main stream media would report on exit polls that looked favorable to the Democrats.  But when the actual votes were counted, it was discovered that the poll reports were wrong.  Later the news media would scratch their heads and wonder why they were mistaken in their analysis.  I don't believe this was a mistake.  Instead it was a deliberate attempt to help the Democrats by encouraging the fair weather fan to vote for Democrats and to discourage the Republican supporters from going to the polls.

We all need to become aware of our motivation when it comes time to vote.  Try to separate the emotions and make the choice that is the best for our society.  If we don't the political handlers of both parties will continue to play the  electorate like a fiddle.  And we will get the government that we deserve.

 - Thomas Paine 2

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