Words mean things. This is a constant phrase thrown around my day job and speaks to me on a personal level, as I have a special connection with English and foreign languages. The right words add emotion and nuance to a conversation, but equally as important is adding context to what’s being said. Words facilitate understanding.
In learning to appreciate soccer, I also ran into the problem of words and terminology hindering my understanding. Even the name — Soccer or Football — provides a contextual indication of where you learned the game (despite the fact that Soccer comes from a British term). The playing surface is a “pitch” not a “field”. The “side lines” are “touch lines”. A match doesn’t go into “overtime” it goes into “extra time”. Team names as well fall into this — I got corrected in a pub one evening for discussing the tactics of “Tottenham Hotspur” (their actual name!), and not calling them by their nickname “Spurs”.
Yet while not using the right words, terminology, or names can be used by some elitist gatekeeping fans to look down on people just getting into the sport, that’s not the point of this article. Instead, I want to focus on the one bit of terminology change that actually meant something to me in terms of philosophy, context, and feel of the nature of the sport: “Supporter” vice “Fan”.
A couple of disclaimers on this first. The discussion I’m having is about how I take those words and the meaning I receive when someone uses these words. The words “supporter” and “fan” are functionally interchangeable anymore when it comes to sport. Even in England, where I picked up the nuances of these words, they have no problem using either term. I’m not saying my way is right, just that it’s how I think about the nature of support and fandom.
It may get a bit English-nerdy. Sorry in advance.
I’ll start off with the definition of “Fan”. (Unless otherwise noted, all definitions and word origin discussions in this article are taken from dictionary.com and their proprietary network of dictionary resources)
Fan – an enthusiastic devotee, follower, or admirer of a sport, pastime, celebrity, etc.
Further reading of the entry tells you that the word is a shortened form of the word “Fanatic” (surprise!) which is further defined as:
Fanatic – a person with an extreme and uncritical enthusiasm or zeal, as in religion or politics.
So while “Fan” has been watered down to “enthusiastic”, the root word started with “extreme” and “uncritical” to define that enthusiasm. Both of those have negative connotations. Thinking about someone with “fanatical devotion” or a group of “fanatics” is dismissive of their zealous devotion at best and fearful of their extreme and uncritical positions at worst.
On the other hand, the definition of “Supporter” lends itself to much more positive connotations:
Supporter – an adherent, follower, backer, or advocate.
We could also just use the simple definition from looking at the word: One who supports.
Aside from the fact that “supporter” sounds nicer and less extreme, there are relationship connotations that I read into this word that aren’t there with “fan”. Both are “followers” , but fans are “devotees” and “admirers” where supporters are “backers” and “advocates”. There’s no active reciprocation on the part of the “sport, pastime, celebrity” required for fandom. Fans exist and the fan follows or admires.
“Supporter” implies a requisite relationship based on the base word “support”. A few definitions to illustrate the argument:
- to bear or hold up (a load, mass, structure, part, etc.); serve as a foundation for.
- to maintain (a person, family, establishment, institution, etc.) by supplying with things necessary to existence; provide for:
- to uphold (a person, cause, policy, etc.) by aid, countenance, one’s vote, etc.; back; second
- to sustain (a person, the mind, spirits, courage, etc.) under trial or affliction
As you notice, the requisite relationship isn’t one-way. Supporters “serve as a foundation” and supply “things necessary for existence”. The team, club, cause, idea, whatever do not exist without the foundation and the supply that supporters bring (admittedly, that’s often times your money, but still). Even if a team relocates, they still require support and supporters in the new market. The nature of support requires the team to recognize the importance of supporters.
The supporters have some responsibilities as well. They must give “aid” and “countenance” (showing up to events or displaying your support allegiance through merchandise, talk, etc.). Supporters must also be there to “sustain” their chosen club, especially under “trial or affliction”.
That last bit can get tricky. It’s easy to get down on a team when they aren’t performing and lose hope. In fact, there will likely come a time where you question the support you are giving for one reason or another. That’s ok. Remember, fanatics are “uncritical”. I’ll address those topics in later articles, but the point is that good support means sometimes questioning and calling a club on things. “Fans” go in blinded by their zeal and enthusiasm.
All this to say that I use the term “supporter” deliberately when I use it. It’s why this site isn’t about “fandom”; I hold supporters to a higher standard than I do fans. I believe we should all strive to be supporters, because I believe that we all get more out of that relationship than being simple fans.
But I get it. The words “Fan” and Supporter” are functionally interchangeable. So while I will differentiate, you do you. More important than the words you use are the spirit in which you use them. Let us all strive to “support”, even if we call ourselves “fans”.
As always, I welcome your comments, thoughts, and questions on this topic! Send an e-mail, or leave a comment below.
References:
Random House Unabridged Dictionary (2023). Fan. In dictionary.com dictionary. Retrieved March 24, 2023, from https://www.dictionary.com/browse/fan
Random House Unabridged Dictionary (2023). Fanatic. In dictionary.com dictionary. Retrieved March 24, 2023, from https://www.dictionary.com/browse/fanatic
Random House Unabridged Dictionary (2023). Support. In dictionary.com dictionary. Retrieved March 24, 2023, from https://www.dictionary.com/browse/support
Random House Unabridged Dictionary (2023). Supporter. In dictionary.com dictionary. Retrieved March 24, 2023, from https://www.dictionary.com/browse/supporter
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