What it Takes to be a True Red Sox Fan
Being a fan to any given sports team usually constitutes as a hobby, but in some cases people take the term “fan” to the next level. Being a Boston Red Sox fan is often a hobby of many New Englanders. However, being a true Red Sox fan requires taking ”fan” to that next level as well as putting in much more effort to stay caught up with the team and an emotional attachment to the team that many cannot handle.
If one has these characteristics and the dedication that it requires, they can be considered in the Red Sox Fan “Discourse”, defined by James Gee as one’s “identity kit” for a certain aspect of life or field you are involved in. In order to be a true fan, one must posses the “doing, being, valuing, believing” (Gee 6) combination that is necessary for the Discourse.
The Basics of What it Takes
Being a baseball fan alone is it’s own Discourse and has it’s own set of building tasks that one must also understand in order to be a Red Sox fan. One must know the game, the rules, and the general backgrounds of the MLB teams as well as actually and thoroughly enjoying watching the game of baseball. Sox fans take these building tasks to the extremes in order to prove their loyalty and position in the Discourse. Zachary Rymer of The Bleacher Report reasons this by stating,
“More than a century later, they’re still the Boston Red Sox. Boston has been a baseball town for almost 140 years, and the Red Sox have been a fixture for over 100 of those. Mind you, they also play at baseball’s oldest ballpark.” -Rhymer
The Sox fan base has a family feeling, as it is passed down between generations and is a tradition for many in the New England area, giving it greater significance and setting the fans apart from being a fan of any other MLB team or just of baseball in general.
Identities of the Discourse
Red Sox Nation, as it is termed, has it’s own terms and identities on top of the generic baseball terms. The “Green Monster” or as we say in Maine, the “Monstah” is the 37 foot tall green wall in left field, signalling that a player has hit a homerun if the ball goes over.
Many players also have their own nicknames, for present players like “Big Papi”, “Laser Show” or “Pede” and for past players such as “Gonzo”, “Youk”, “V-Tek”, “Yaz”, or “Dice-K”. Anyone in the Discourse would automatically know who all of these players are and the importance they have had for the team. Jerry Remy, better known as RemDawg, has been an announcer for the Red Sox since 1988, creating his own special and close bond with the fans. Don Orsillo, has been commentating the team’s games alongside RemDawg since 2001 and just left at the end of this season, causing very emotional reactions and sadness from Red Sox fans. Every person associated with the Sox is given their own identity and has their own special role for the team, setting them apart from everyone else on the team for a specific reason.
Dedication and Loyalty is Required
According to Gee, the value aspect of a Discourse is one of the most important, and having or not having the necessary values can distinguish whether a person is actually in the Discourse or just trying to be. True Sox fans are dedicated, crazy, superstitious, emotional, and most importantly loyal.
The Sox went through a 86 year title drought, during which many fans gave up on the team and decided to turn their attention to better performing teams. Those who are in the Red Sox Fan Discourse never gave up or lost hope throughout this drought.
The Passion
Mark Newman discusses how true Sox fans have an indescribable passionate connection to the team and go through extreme emotional roller coasters through the season, causing the most extreme of Sox fans to be more distraught over the statistics and conditions of the players than over work or school. A diehard fan must have an emotional connection to the players and love them as if they know them; you bond with the players as they perform well over their seasons with the team and begin to adore their personalities as their individuality and quirks become prevalent. When talking about fans overall love for the players he adds,
“You could say this about any fan base. But this one is a given as well. Just consider the “DAMON SUCKS” T-shirt across from us on the Green Line to the Kenmore exit in the afternoon” -Newman
It is a fact that you automatically despise any player who leaves the team, unless they retire, and especially if they leave for the Yankees. There is no questioning this and is a value you must possess if you consider yourself a fan. Lastly, Newman says that fans “Get here early and are happy to stay late”. Diehard fans stay until the very last out of the game, even if it doesn’t happen until 1:30 in the morning, and will stay after the game ends to take the experience in for as long as possible, and especially to praise the team if they won.
Crazy Superstitions of Baseball, Taken to the Next Level
Sox fans find significance in practically anything-beards, bloody socks, red chairs, batter-box rituals, songs, the list is endless. We are easily one of the most superstitious fan bases and franchises arounds. These are stories I have heard over and over again throughout life, and become prevalent again every time visiting the field.
Sweet Caroline
Since the song came out in 1969, “Sweet Caroline” by Neil Diamond has been played and sung at the top of your lungs by everyone during the seventh-inning stretch of every game, becoming a tradition and causing you to always link this song with baseball.
The Red Chair
The red chair located at section 42, row 37, seat 2 has stayed red even when all of the other chairs were painted green. The chair commemorates the longest home run ever hit inside the park at Fenway; Ted Williams hit a 502 foot homer at that direct spot, hitting a fan in the head, giving the chair it’s own significance.
Batting Stance
The absurd batter-box rituals of players such as Kevin Youkilis and David Ortiz are distinct, and always mocked by fans when playing a game of ball themselves, it’s something you just can’t resist doing.
The Bloody Sock
“Bloody sock” brings back memories for anyone who was a Sox fan during the 2004 World Series; those in the Discourse know that Curt Schilling was pitching Game 6 of the series and had torn an ankle tendon and continued to play on it to the point where his sock was dripping blood, but he won the game and got us to Game 7, which we we would also win for the World Series title. The sock was of such great significance that it had auctioned off for over $90,000 and is now in the Baseball Hall of Fame.
The Band of Bearded Brothers
Most recently, and possibly the most recognizable Red Sox superstition was the players’ beards of 2013. The team had been nicknamed “The Band of Bearded Brothers” since the players had all refused to shave their facial hair during the 2013 season; since they had been playing so well, and being as superstitious as they are, attributed it to the beards. The Sox eventually won that season’s World Series, obviously because of the beards.
Unbreakable Bonds
Many types of relationships are formed when in the Red Sox Fan Discourse. Danielle Lapierre discusses many of these types of relationships in her sports article titled, “Why Being A Red Sox Fan Is An Emotional Roller Coaster: I got my emotional toughness from being a Red Sox fan.” She explains how your commitment to the team might as well be a relationship with a real person; you skip out on social events, affecting your real relationships, because “the team needs me” and you need the team. Lapierre says,
“Being a Red Sox fan isn’t just something you do between the months of April and October. It is a year-long, actually, a lifelong experience that will make you laugh, cry (tears of joy and sadness)…” -Lapierre
This sums up what being in the Discourse feels like perfectly. You have an intuitive bond with any other true Red Sox fan, and can automatically have endless conversation under any circumstances. You develop relationships with each individual player, these relationships are usually one-sided of course. Fans become captivated in the player’s habits and characteristics, creating a special bond when watching the team, and making it extremely hard to watch them go to another team later in life.
Also, this creates a barrier for relationships with people who are present but are not Sox fans, and particularly for those who are New York Yankees fans, since it is an unwritten-law that you cannot be friends with them.
This all only scratches the surface of the attitude and values you must have to be a true Red Sox fan or be in the Red Sox Fan Discourse. As you can see, it is much more involved than just liking baseball and becomes a very important part of your life. Being a Red Sox fan is without a doubt a Discourse, since it has all of the saying-doing-being-valuing-believing combinations required to form a Discourse.
Works Cited
Gee, James Paul. “Literacy, Discourse, and Linguistics: Introduction.” Journal of Education 171.1 (1989): 5–17. Print.
