In the world of sports, fan bases are the only thing that can influence a game while not being a part of it. From fans running on the field to make a play to simply just sitting there and being loud, fans don’t get enough credit for their part they play on the game.
The first and arguably most influential fanbase on a game is Penn State. When teams come up to the University, they already know they’re in for a ride. The stadium is sold out months before games and it’s the biggest in the country. Fans there get so loud that the opposing team’s offense often can’t communicate with each other despite being on the field five feet from each other. This causes flags helping Penn State’s defense that’s already top tier every year in the NCAA. Senior Shane Kerosetz said, “As a Notre Dame fan I’ve got to give credit to the Penn State fans, they’re probably the best fanbase in all of America honestly.”
Fans don’t only change games from the stands however. An example from all the way back in 1961 shows this well. A close Cowboys vs Patriots matchup came down to one play and a fan from the stands known as “the man in the trench coat” ran onto the field, got in the linebackers box and deflected the final pass of the game.
The Patriots went on to win that game and had a solid 9-4-1 season. That record could’ve easily been changed had it not been for that fan.
The final type of fan base I want to mention is a different level of sports. High school sports are much different with players being a lot more immature and easy to manipulate.
An example of a great school fanbase is our very own SV JUNGLE. The Jungle has seen a lot of close basketball games this year, in which Saucon came out on top. Players and staff are very appreciative of the efforts from the non players in the building. Students will relentlessly make fun of the other team in any way possible or that comes to mind and opposing players feed into it perfectly trying to show us up and looking over after a made shot.
Senior Eli Miller said, “I know every time that they go to shoot a free show there’s a good chance of a screech and a better chance of them missing the shot because of it.” This goes to show the players appreciate the influence from fans. Not just at the high school level but every level of sports.
In conclusion, give credit where credit is due. These fanbases have helped out over the seasons with lots of close games and who knows how the seasons would’ve panned out had the seats there been empty.
“I’ve loved watching and changing these games in high school and professional games. You don’t always notice that your voice just makes everyone else’s louder and helps out just a bit more,” said senior Carter Bidwell.
