First and foremost, I am a fan of the game of baseball. I love it more than anything. Secondly, I'm a Blue Jays fan; I'm a die-hard. Thirdly, I'm a Major League Baseball fan. I enjoy following the highest level of play of my favourite game. At times first and second are very closely intertwined, as the Jays are my main source of watching baseball being played, but there always remains a line between the three.
Now some may say that a baseball fan is a baseball fan is a baseball fan. Okay, that's fair. But the term "baseball fan" doesn't begin to cover the differences in the population that makes up that group. So sorry to burst any bubbles, but a baseball fan is not a baseball fan, etc., etc. There's gamers, teamers and leaguers and sometimes the types overlap, work together or go head-to-head, but they're still there. They do exist even if the dividing lines between them are hard to see or comprehend. For better or worse, or complete neutrality, all us "baseball fans" were not created equal.
Before believing that I've gone off the deep end, stop and think about what I'm about to explain. Really think about it. I guarantee you won't think I'm so wrong by the end.
At this point you're probably starting to ponder exactly what the differences are between the three types of fan I named above. (Which is should state may not be the only three, but I believe they are the basis for any fan you could find.) Maybe you've guessed by now or maybe they were obvious to you before I even wrote about them.
But, to make sure we're all on the same page going forward, here are the types of fan as I see them:
Gamer: A lover of the game of baseball, no matter its form. Be it hardball, softball, slow-pitch, lob ball, three pitch, professional, pick-up, little league; it doesn't matter to a gamer. They love the actual game of baseball, whether it's playing or watching it. As long as there's a bat, ball, batter, and pitcher, they're in. The outcome doesn't matter, only that the game existed. They truly love and understand the game.
Teamer: Loves and follows a particular professional team. Falls somewhere on the level of fan spectrum from casual to die-hard. Isn't automatically a gamer or a leaguer. Is mainly concerned with the wins and losses of their particular team, and any post-season success. Ex. John Smith is a huge Dodgers fan and only really cares if they win and make the playoffs. He doesn't really care what else happens around the Majors.
Leaguer: Loves and follows the Majors Leagues, both American and National. Can have a preference between the Leagues, but at least slightly follows both. A leaguer can just root for the Major Leagues in general, but most will have begun as a Teamer and their support/interest has grown and led them to be a Leaguer.
Just to clarify a little more before we go any further. You don't have to be one of the above things to be another. You can be just a gamer, teamer, or leaguer or any mix of the three. Just because you're one doesn't mean you're the other two. These definitions (teamer, leager) can be applied to those who don't follow a Major League team or MLB, but do follow another team and/or the league they play in.
From my experience, the most common mixes are gamer-teamers and teamer-leaguers. But, and this is an important disclaimer, that doesn't mean there aren't a whole bunch of other mixes of fan out there; varying degrees in each type, varying degrees of seperation between types, varying orders of importance of types or that there aren't other master or sub-types that I haven't encountered yet. Even though I'm trying to make sense of "baseball fan", I recognize and respect that we all come in different levels and kinds of love and appreciation.
So, where do we go from here? Well, even without my declaration above, I'm sure it's no great suprise that I'm all three types and which order they fall in. Some of my previous entries make it pretty obvious where my heart truly lies in baseball, when you take into account the definitions above. But I felt it was important to explain all this, to put it out there to be thought about, discussed, dissected. I think this is an interesting/important point to look at in general, without taking into consideration the effects (if any) all this might have on the way fans look at baseball or the future of baseball itself. I also think clarifying how I see "baseball fans" will serve as a buoy when jumping in to the PEDs/cheating discussion. Not only will the definitions above serve as a starting point, but they'll also be a lifeline to avoid getting too lost or far from home when navigating the messy waters of the steroid era and post-steroid era.
They say you should wait an hour after eating before swimming. Well, I think the same thing about thought and discussion. Take some time to digest what I've written, think about it, then get ready to dive on in to steroids and cheating.
Your faithful gamer, teamer, leaguer and blogger,
JaysGirl5
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