The Beautiful Mess of Being a Sports Fan: My Love-Hate Relationship with the Game

The Beautiful Chaos of Being a Sports Fan: My Love-Hate Relationship with the Game

Why I Still Cry Over Sports (And You Should Too) Look, I’m gonna be honest with you. I’m a mess. A complete, unapologetic, sports-obsessed mess. And I’m not ashamed of it. Not one bit. You see, I grew up in a house where sports were basically a religion. My dad, let’s call him Marcus, was … Read more

The Beautiful Mess of Sports Fandom: Why We Love to Hate (and Love) Our Teams

The Beautiful Chaos of Sports Fandom: Why We Love to Hate (and Love) Our Teams

Confessions of a Die-Hard Fan Look, I’m gonna be honest here. I’m not one of those fair-weather fans. No, no, no. I’m the idiot standing in the cold at 11:30pm last Tuesday, wearing my team’s colors, screaming at the refs like they can hear me. I’m the one who’s gonna be heartbroken for days after … Read more

The Ugly Truth About Youth Sports and Why We’re All to Blame

The Ugly Truth About Youth Sports and Why We're All at Fault

Let’s Get Something Straight I’ve been around sports my whole life. Played ’em, coached ’em, written about ’em. And I’m here to tell you, we’ve messed up. Badly. Youth sports? It’s a mess. A completley broken mess. I’m not talking about little league kickball here. I mean the travel teams, the club teams, the 87 … Read more

The Beautiful Mess of Sports Fandom: Why We Love to Hate

The Beautiful Chaos of Sports Fandom: Why We Love to Hate

My First Love, My First Heartbreak I was 8 years old, sitting in the living room of our cramped apartment in Detroit, when I first felt the sting of sports heartbreak. It was October 28, 1991. The Detroit Red Wings were playing the Chicago Blackhawks. I was a die-hard fan, complete with a Steve Yzerman … Read more

The Beautiful Mess of Sports Fandom: Why We Love to Hate

The Beautiful Chaos of Sports Fandom: Why We Love to Hate

Look, I’m Gonna Say It: We’re All Hypocrites I was at a bar in Chicago last Tuesday, watching the Blackhawks game with a bunch of friends. Let’s call one of them Marcus. He’s a die-hard fan, wears his Toews jersey to every game, knows every stat. So the Hawks are down 3-1 in the third, … Read more

Why We’re All Wrong About the State of Modern Sports

Why We're All Wrong About the State of Modern Sports

Let’s Get One Thing Straight I’ve been in this game for over two decades. I’ve seen the highs, the lows, and the downright ridiculous. And let me tell you, we’re all wrong about modern sports. Yeah, I said it. We’re wrong. I’m Emma Stone, and I’ve been editing sports features since before some of you … Read more

The Beautiful Mess of Sports Fandom: Why We Love to Hate

The Beautiful Chaos of Sports Fandom: Why We Love to Hate

Confessions of a Die-Hard Fan Look, I’m gonna be honest with you. I’m a mess. A complete, unapologetic mess when it comes to sports. I’ve been this way since I was a kid, growing up in Boston, where sports fandom isn’t just a hobby—it’s a lifestyle. A religion, even. My dad, let’s call him Marcus, … Read more