Download Superfans: Into the Heart of Obsessive Sports Fandom AudioBook Free
A Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist pulls back again the drape on the remarkable internal lives of America's most obsessive activities fans. There are supporters, and then there are fans. Within this wondrously immersive check out American activities fandom, George Dohrmann travels the country to find out what distinguishes an ordinary, everyday aficionado from that special breed of supporter known as the superfan. In Minnesota, Dohrmann fits recently minted generals of the Viking World Order, a Minnesota Vikings affinity group planned along military services lines. In Oregon, he shares a few beers with a driven soccer enthusiast who amassed - almost singlehandedly - a 4,000-strong cheering section for the fledgling Portland Timbers. In Illinois, he speaks with the parents of a five-year-old youngster whose intense hatred of Tom Brady went viral on YouTube. Through these and other personal profiles, Dohrmann shows us the human faces behind the shaded face paint, the real people inside the complex halloween costumes who prowl the stands and parking lots at stadiums everywhere. In addition to the supporters themselves, Dohrmann also speaks with the experts who analyze them. He uses the latest thinking in activities psychology - a few of it learned during a spirited round of miniature golf with several professors at the total annual Sports Psychology Community - to unravel the answers to such using questions as: So how exactly does fandom begin? What exactly are its effects on everyday life? When will it really go too far? For everybody who's ever before body-painted their torso with the team colors of these alma mater before going to a activities pub - or even just screamed at their television set through the NBA Finals, Superfans offers an entertaining and insightful exploration of the many ways humans find meaning in something bigger than themselves.
