Are we really any different from sports fanatics?

[Motown Marvel]

the only difference between us and sports fans is us comic dorks get laid by women all the time!

amirite?

 

[SuperFerret]

I can't really tell if you're agreeing or being satirical/sarcastic, so I'll take this as an opportunity to expand upon my point -- rather than direct this specifically at you.

If we're just going to speak in generalities, as everything appears on paper, there is no real difference. Yet, that reminds me of my friend the Cowboys fan, and an exchange we had. He told me at the beginning of 2010 that "The Cowboys are the best team on paper" and my prophetic response was "then Tony Romo can have fun playing paper Football in the post-season". The fact is, this doesn't play out in reality the way it does in some purely academic discussion we may have about it. I'd certainly like to say comic nerds warrant the same "respect" sports fans get, but the reality is sports are a more social activity that carries more weight and has a larger societal impact than comic books. I also have a feeling that it's just more primal for humans to worship physical competition, which may explain why sports are so popular and why comics just don't carry the same appeal.

That's the point.

The question is: Are we (comic fans) really any different from sports fanatics?

The answer is simple. No, we are not. WHAT we're fans of may be different, but the reasons we are fans and the ways we go about expressing this fandom are very similar and come from the same place.

The trees may be different, but it's the same forest.

 

[RockSP]

Then again, I've never heard of an alcohol-fueled brawl breaking out at a Con, people fighting damn near to the death over whether one character is cooler than another or rioting and looting to celebrate a comic book-related achievement.

Heh, it's not quite that extreme but I remember reading an article years ago in which Alan Moore detailed being chased at a con by a bunch of crazed, screaming fanboys on some Jackson 5/NKOTB type @#$%. An example of that over the top fanboyism I was talking about in my previous post. Both camps have their psychotic members.

 

[Chris Wallace]

Well someone did get stabbed in the eye at Comic-Con last year , but I get your point.

I think there are simply a greater number of sports fans, hell, I'm also a sports fan. Are they different? I dont really think so, I believe that comic fans are more of a minority and probably always will be so there tend to be those negative stereotypes.

Funny thing-a lot of the stereotypes are pretty much the same. Your stereotypical comic book fan is some loser guy who's out of shape, can't resist an opportunity to spout his useless knowledge, never waivers in his devotion even at the cost of any semblance of a social life and couldn't get laid to save his life.

This also pretty well describes the stereotypical sports fan.

Only because their behavior is deemed moreso acceptable, they by and large tend to have better luck in that department.

Oh-consider this; why does Sports Illustrated have a SWIMSUIT issue? Is that in any way better than comics where the women's costumes are little more than glorified bikinis?

 

[Lunar_Wolf]

Yes, there's a difference. I'm going to use soccer as an example. The amount of riots and deaths associated with the sport is ridiculous. Comic books fans are just vocal.

 

[Optimus_Prime_]

That's the point.

The question is: Are we (comic fans) really any different from sports fanatics?

The answer is simple. No, we are not. WHAT we're fans of may be different, but the reasons we are fans and the ways we go about expressing this fandom are very similar and come from the same place.

The trees may be different, but it's the same forest.

Yeah, but if you're going to argue things out of reality, there really is no point is there? You can make anything you want make sense.

I also disagree with that bolded statement. Comic book fans and Sports fans do seem different. Comic Book reading, collecting and even what is done on this site is a solitary activity. You may be a very social person, but comics are generally not an outlet for socializing. Sure you can go to a Convention every now and again, but it's hardly a force for bringing people together like sports are. Also comic book fans generally are not the most physically active people in the world, because comic books are not a activity like sports. If you are really passionate about sports you join a team, learn team building skills, learn to compete and you're typically physically active. You certainly can get positives out of reading, but it's not the same as sports.

If they were the same they'd be treated the same. Star Trek, Star Wars, Comic Book and Transformers nerds are all generally lumped in the same 'nerd' boat, just like fans of the many varieties of sport all seem to have many similarities as to how they are treated.

Also, not to be mean, but comic books are a very frivolous waste of time, whereas sports carry some societal weight. The Death of Superman, perhaps comics most monolithic event in terms of public awareness, pales in comparison to the impact of the 'Hail Mary' and the 'Immaculate Reception'.

 

[Danalys]

myth, story telling and art are very much apart of human heritage and as important as inspiring to be fit or belonging in a tribe. it's inspiring people to be decent, intelligent, brave, knowledgeable, worldly, etc. when you're not seeing much of that in real life people have got to learn it somewhere.

 

[Optimus_Prime_]

myth, story telling and art are very much apart of human heritage and as important as inspiring to be fit or belonging in a tribe. it's inspiring people to be decent, intelligent, brave, knowledgeable, worldly, etc. when you're not seeing much of that in real life people have got to learn it somewhere.

Religion would fill that role better than comic books. I understand your point about why humans would write comics, but it is not a social activity, and doesn't carry the same weight as the thread topic.

 

[RockSP]

Also, not to be mean, but comic books are a very frivolous waste of time, whereas sports carry some societal weight. The Death of Superman, perhaps comics most monolithic event in terms of public awareness, pales in comparison to the impact of the 'Hail Mary' and the 'Immaculate Reception'.

Reading comics is no more frivolous than sitting in front of tv watching a game. Any imagined societal weight is only due to the fact that sports are much more popular.

 

[Danalys]

Religion would fill that role better than comic books. I understand your point about why humans would write comics, but it is not a social activity, and doesn't carry the same weight as the thread topic.

the verbal form of it was social. it moved on to a new way where the best stories could reach more people, and at times when they had nothing better to do really. and if it was as popular as tv then the watercooler talk could happen about it.

also religion is indistinguishable from myth to none believers of that particular religion.

 

[Optimus_Prime_]

Reading comics is no more frivolous than sitting in front of tv watching a game. Any imagined societal weight is only due to the fact that sports are much more popular.

The societal weight isn't 'imagined'. You may disagree that sports should be highly regarded, but the fact is they are. Any informal street poll you took would confirm this. There is no comic equivalent to the Miracle on Ice, or the reverse ALCS sweep of 2004. You can be at odds with reality all you want, but until your city goes and invests 100 million dollars to build a comic book store, you're arguing against a brick wall. There is simply nothing comics can produce that will rival what the sports world produces on a daily basis.

the verbal form of it was social. it moved on to a new way where the best stories could reach more people, and at times when they had nothing better to do really. and if it was as popular as tv then the watercooler talk could happen about it.

also religion is indistinguishable from myth to none believers of that particular religion.

That's not true. I recognize the difference between what categorizes as a religion and what simply remains in the realm of myth, despite being a complete non believer in all of them. Comic books certainly draw from Religion as a basis for many of their stories, but it's false equivalency to act as if the two are one in the same.

 

[Heffer Wolf]

Comic nerds are just as bad as sports nerds. I got a friend who can give me the stat and number of almost every football player form the last 3 or 4 years. And I got another friend who can give me a detailed history of Captain America. They are both equally annoying.

and where does this put me? As a guy who just got done reading my weekly comics while watching the San Diego Padres baseball game? I would love to go to comic con this year, AND I am stressing out hoping the football lockout gets resolved. weird.

 

[redmarvel]

How many riots have occurred after Comic Conventions?

How many after sporting events?

How many participants / viewers of Comic Conventions have been injured at the event?

How many participants / viewers of Sporting events have been injured at the event?

Something is bad only if someone is getting hurt or property is being damaged.

 

[Optimus_Prime_]

The difference between comics and sports is one is a social activity and the other is a solo activity. You'll never seeing 100,000 people turn up to see someone write, draw or read a comic.

I know you and I pretty much see eye to eye on this topic, so working off of your very astute post here, I'll make a few additions. I see a lot of people here drawing parrallels like "well, sports fans where jerseys of their favorite player, and I wear Batman T-shirts" or "both know a lot about their players, and [perhaps] collect cards". I think this woefully misses the point posters like myself and amazingfantasy15 are making. What's being demonstrated through these posts is that marketing capitalizes on similar aspects of the market when appealing to their respective fans. Who honestly expects Marvel not to invest in T-Shirt sales? They'd be choking themselves off from a very lucrative market. It would be the proverbial 'cutting off your nose to spite your face'.

I think you can, however, look at what sports fans are more prone to buy. Sure, there is sports books and fiction, but it's not the lynchpin of the sports market like comic books are for superheroes. Also, while MacFarlane makes sports action figures, I rarely find many sports fans who invest much money in that sort of thing. Move over to the comic fan end of things, and collecting action figures when you're thirty five is not unheard of, in fact it may even qualify as the norm depending on what property is being discussed. Transformers fans essentially live and die by the toyline, while the fiction is secondary to the fandom. I'll probably catch a bit of flak for this, but honestly I see this as a much more childish hobby than sports. While women may find the guy with a hundred pieces of Tom Brady paraphenalia odd he's not nearly in the same boat as the guy with the complete Battlestar Gallactica action figure collection (even if TIME called it one of the top ten best shows of the decade).

The lynchpin of the sports market is the sport itself. Without games being played sports simply cannot make money. I don't invest the same interest in Tom Brady's social life and off the field life as someone who likes comics would invest in every facet of the character they like. Sure I'm going to know a whole heaping lot about Tom Brady, but my real fandom for him and his team focuses around what is done on the field of play, in reality, undisputed, for all the world to see in real time.

 

[The Question]

The difference between comics and sports is one is a social activity and the other is a solo activity. You'll never seeing 100,000 people turn up to see someone write, draw or read a comic.

But you will see 100,000 people show up for San Diego Comic Con, or for the Avenegrs movie premier.

 

[RockSP]

The societal weight isn't 'imagined'. You may disagree that sports should be highly regarded, but the fact is they are. Any informal street poll you took would confirm this. There is no comic equivalent to the Miracle on Ice, or the reverse ALCS sweep of 2004. You can be at odds with reality all you want, but until your city goes and invests 100 million dollars to build a comic book store, you're arguing against a brick wall. There is simply nothing comics can produce that will rival what the sports world produces on a daily basis.

Heh, well I never said anything about whether sports should be highly regarded or not. That doesn't have anything to do with or change the facts about the frivolity of being a fan of either activity.

and where does this put me? As a guy who just got done reading my weekly comics while watching the San Diego Padres baseball game? I would love to go to comic con this year, AND I am stressing out hoping the football lockout gets resolved. weird.

Nothing's weird about liking sports and comics.

 

[Optimus_Prime_]

Heh, well I never said anything about whether sports should be highly regarded or not. That doesn't have anything to do with or change the facts about the frivolity of being a fan of either activity.

As far as socially useful goes, which may not be of incredibly personal importance goes, sports is less frivolous than comic books.

 

[BlackLantern]

As far as socially useful goes, which may not be of incredibly personal importance goes, sports is less frivolous than comic books.

yea...and its just more socially acceptable than comics....at its base, they are the same

Im both...a comic fan and a sports fan, and I have friends on both sides....but I have comic friends who absolutely loathe sports

 

[Heretic]

A few friends and I basically made a list one night of every single "fan obsession" type thing that we've ever heard of. For instance, I know a few people who are in the Dr Pepper fan club and have get together where every food and beverage contains Dr Pepper...we really scraped the bottom of the barrel.

But you know the drill...Magic The Gathering players...Trekkies...

But when we really boiled it all down...the very WORST kind of nerd we could possibly imagine...the MOST PATHETIC kind of dork...is the dork who not only doesnt realize that he is a dork...but actually believes that what he's doing is cool.

Ladies and gentlemen...I give you Fantasy Sports geeks...the lowest of the low.

 

[The Morningstar]

Sports fans are fanatical about real things. Sports can actually make a difference to the world. Sportsmen can be real inspiring icons. Like Lance Armstrong or Muhammed Ali. Or how about teams that represent entire nations? Or maybe even cities?

Some people obviously go over the top with it, but in my eyes, there is more valid reasons for people to be fanatical about sports.

Whereas Comics? It's FICTION. It's not real. There really is no reason to be so obsessed over fictional characters and fictional universes.

 

[Heretic]

You're suggesting that the number of yards a guy runs in a game has ANY impact on society???

No...athletes can influence society...and so can artists. It is the people behind the game or comic that do that. You assume that an artist is incapable of changing the world in the same way that an athlete can...but I would suggest that artists have changed the world FAR, FAR more than athletes.

Giving superhuman, world changing powers to the idea of throwing a ball through a hoop is all the evidence I need...sports fans are lamer than comics fans.

At least comics fans realize that their interest holds no real world changing power.

 

[The Morningstar]

You're suggesting that the number of yards a guy runs in a game has ANY impact on society???

No...athletes can influence society...and so can artists. It is the people behind the game or comic that do that. You assume that an artist is incapable of changing the world in the same way that an athlete can...but I would suggest that artists have changed the world FAR, FAR more than athletes.

Giving superhuman, world changing powers to the idea of throwing a ball through a hoop is all the evidence I need...sports fans are lamer than comics fans.

At least comics fans realize that their interest holds no real world changing power.

Hmm so, you're saying Muhammed Ali's plight didn't help inspire a whole lot of people, especially black people, to turn against the US government during Vietnam?

Or Lance Armstrong's fight against cancer didn't inspire millions of people?

Or Ivory Coast's performance in the 2006 World Cup didn't inspire the people of Ivory Coast to put down their guns and end their civil war?

Or sports teams representing entire nations during events like the World Cup or the Olympics?

Comics can't even come close to such things.

There is more reason to be fanatical over sports that comic books. Although like i said, some people go too far. But for me, being fanatical about your NATIONS sports team, for example, is more logical than being fanatical about a fictional character like Spider-Man.

 

[Heretic]

Wait...what does Ali's plight have to do with sports???
Lance Armstrong's bike victories caused his cancer???

You are crediting their career for things a career can't do. An accountant can save a choking person's life in a restaurant...so by your logic Accounting saves lives...but let me guess...it ONLY works for athletes, right??

And you just gave me three different types of sports...nope...cant do that...unless you want to grant me ALL artists...and I'll take that any day...artists HAVE contributed more to society than athletes.

 

[The Morningstar]

Sports put those people in the position to inspire people. Would anyone give a crap about Ali's plight if he wasn't the greatest boxer of all time? Or Armstrongs if he wasn't the greatest bike rider of all time? Or in the case of Ivory Coast, their football team united an entire nation of warring factions.

Comic book artists and writers and the fictional characters they create can claim no such things. If Spider-Man or Superman bring about world peace I'll change my tune.

My point is, sports fans and comic book fans can go over the top, for sure. But sports is real, I can understand people being more fanatical about it, to an extent. I can't understand people who are fanatical over fictional characters and fictional universes.

 

[Heretic]

So...you're saying that the greatness of sports is that those who are famous can help people because people already put an imagined greatness on sports????

Solid logic if I've ever heard it.

Once again you are giving a career supernatural powers. People can and are inspired by LOTS of people...people are even inspired by fictional characters...

Yes..."sports" is a real thing...they exist. Guess what..."art" is real too. It exists. The characters drawn dont have a personality of their own, but neither do the statistics of Bret Favre...unless you are giving his stats the same superhuman powers you are giving his career.