2013: The Year in Fan Behavior

Art by Chelsey Boehnke || chelseyboehnke.com Before turning the page to 2014, let's take a look back at the people who make the world of sports go 'round this

Art by Chelsey Boehnke || chelseyboehnke.com

Before turning the page to 2014, let's take a look back at the people who make the world of sports go 'round this year: the fans. But these devotees are not just your average fans who shuffle in an out. Below are the diehards, the drunks, the eccentrics, the folks who made signs, the streakers, the freaks, the souvenir collectors, and everyone in between. Basically: Here are the fans that got their money's worth this year.

Despondency

1. With her team getting pummeled by Syracuse, one Indiana fan decided to strip down to her underwear in the arena. Sure the Hoosiers still lost, but this is the only thing that most people remember about the game.

SyracuseFan.com

2. A Browns fans perfectly sums up the team's ongoing ineptitude at the quarterback position in one picture. We really thought Charlie Frye was the one.

3. Sad Irish fan will be remembered for being so... sad.

Streakers, runners, and others on the field of play

1. The United States won the Presidents Cup this year much to the delight of a particularly patriotic female streaker.

2. An Oklahoma state trooper delivered one of the best hits of the year on a streaker who decided to interrupt an OU football game.

3. This Cavs fan (understandably) has some abandonment issues and sought to make his appeal to Kyrie Irving directly.

4. Cristiano Ronaldo has nothing but love for his fans, even the unhinged ones.

5. Victor Martinez needed a hand to help tie up the Tigers ALDS series against the A's, and a Detroit fan was happy to oblige.

6. Setting a new standard for fan streaking, the Hill Sisters executed an on-field video selfie at the College World Series.

7. Detroit Lions running back Joique Bell proved he has the chops to play defense, too, with this hit on a fan who went streaking at a Browns-Lions preseason game. The same fan got drilled by a security guard.

8. Fans at Candlestick Park pulled the same stunt in the preseason. NBC cut away from the runners getting whacked but they did capture the equally entertaining John Harbaugh Disappointed Grimace.

9. A Raptors fan who lives by the motto "Live Fast, Die A Legend," announced on Twitter that he would run onto the court, did it, but unfortunately did not become a legend.

10. Here's your on-ice streaker, because that's a thing, too.

State of disbelief

1. This Alabama fan at the Iron Bowl checked all the "state of disbelief" boxes: (1) hands on head (2) mouth agape (3) thousand mile blank stare.

via barstoolsports

2. We really enjoy the trend of fans filming themselves watching tense games. The Oscar for "Best Meltdown Documentary" goes to this group of Maple Leafs supporters who decompensated as Toronto blew a 4-1 lead in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

3. When top high basketball recruit Cliff Alexander meant to announce that he would become a Kansas Jayhawk, he accidentally grabbed an IU hat on a table. These fans began celebrating Alexander's split-second commitment to Illinois.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGkmQWcaRYA]

4. Metta World Peace fell into the stands and onto a group of kids, who couldn't quite believe what happened.

Dancing fans

1. Here's a young woman twerking in the stands at a West Virginia basketball game and earning a few bucks for her efforts, because college.

2. People have different ways of expressing jubilation. In particular, this LSU fan, who turned into a T-Rex. (Here he is getting the Jurassic Park treatment.)

via thebiglead

3. The NBA dance cam: where adorable happens.

4. Johnny used to work on the docks, and in 2009, Jeremy Fry did this at a Celtics game. For whatever reason, the video blew up again this year, actually causing "Livin' on a Prayer" to spike on the charts.

5.Wrote the man's mother to her belly dancing son: "Hey, sweetie, saw you on TV. You need a longer shirt."

via MLB Cut 4

6. Let the music move you, Arizona band member.

via SB Nation

Sheer and utter joy

1. The Miracle at Jordan Hare charged Auburn fans everywhere, as seen in this compilation video.

2. The most enthusiastic U.S. Open fan nailed a rare single-to-double-fisted celebratory pump. Respect. 

via Business Insider

Misfortune and failure: Mets fans

1. Really, it's Cardinals pitcher Trevor Rosenthal, not the Mets fan, who makes this GIF perfect:

2. Not the first time someone in an Ike Davis jersey swung and missed.

3. Gary Cohen's reaction to muscle-bound Mets fan failing to open a water bottle wonderfully evokes Alfred's "bloody log" speech.

Misfortune and failure: non-Mets division

1. And the Oscar goes to... Bears Fan Runs Into Pole!

2. Tried to fist bump Chandler Parsons, was rejected.

3. This over-enthusiastic teenage fan will likely never not feel guilty about injuring her hero Ryan Lochte.

4. This kid thought he was being totally metal, until his older brother got in his face:

[mlbvideo id="26300437" width="600" height="363" /]

Video/Photobombs

1. These two achieved the impossible of making us completely ignore Erin Andrews.

2. Dr. Pepper's best viral advertising campaign ever.

3. But seriously, what's with this "take your shirt off and pour soda all over your chest" thing?

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLvNxLWH8QY]

Impersonators

1. This Mike Francesa impersonator took us through an amazing tripthrough history this year.

2. Rob Ryan just lends himself to impersonation.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEqDaPGvClY]

3. Baby Birdman? Baby Birdman.

Ejections

1. Normally, ejecting a fan wearing a speedo makes sense. But, c'mon, it's Florida and this guy was rocking it.

2. This foul-mouthed old lady at the U.S. Open probably has a commentating career ahead of her.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCh3HIphwXc]

Signage

2013: The Year in Fan Behavior

Alabama vs. Auburn :: Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Carolina Panthers :: Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

San Diego State v Buffalo :: Steve Conner/Icon SMI

Calgary Flames vs. Detroit Red Wings :: Dave Reginek/NHLI via Getty Images

Vancouver Canucks :: Getty Images

Indianapolis Colts :: Getty Images

Washington Redskins :: AP

Denver Broncos vs. New England Patriots :: Jim Rogash/Getty Images

Kid letters

1. "Jose Bautista, You are a good player if you could stay healthy..."

2. "Seahawks, a sea serpent is watching the game. If you win, it will eat the fans and eat you..."

3. "I am mad at the Steelers because you are my #1 player."

Triumphs

1. "Young Ohio State fan beats cancer after calling it 'Michigan'"

2. The basketball player's kryptonite: counting backwards

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AvVwbHwWF5A]

3. Chiefs fans set a world record with 137.5 decibles, largely thanks to their weirdly-shaped stadium.

4. Seahawks fans break the Chiefs' fans record AND cause an earthquake. Take that!

5. May we all be as funny in death: Man asks for Browns pallbearers so they can "let him down one last time."

Tell me how you really feel

1.Heat middle-finger lady would have made the list any year.

2. The difference between a good and a great fan video is always the knowing look toward the camera.

3. In New York, even the children will tell a two-time Super Bowl winner that he sucks.

4. It's a crowded field, but this has to be Knicks fan meltdown of the year. 

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQu_T6-tBZk]

Starting over

1. The Patriots went out of pocket to swap out their fans' Aaron Hernandez jerseys, leading to eBay speculation.

2. Speaking of stupid eBay auctions.

Souvenirs

1. This totally cool Blackhawks fan stealing Adam Pardy's helmet might just be the fan moment of the year.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XClSicCjjbE]

2. An Indians fan caught four foul balls in one game. What are the odds, really?

3. You say, "Mom drops son to catch hockey stick." I say, "correct priorities."

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sT0mhgH18zU]

Dressed to impress

1. This Pittsburgh fan shaved his chest hair into supportive messages for the local sports teams. He's also on the short list for "Embarrassing Dad of the Year."

2. The Denver mohawk guy set the standard by which all mohawks dedicated to sports teams will be judged.

3. This Bruins fan created a suit out of 27 rally towels, and the team needed every one of them during their remarkable playoff run last spring.

4. A Caps fan decided to honor Alexander Ovechkin in the most practical way imaginable: By molding his beard into the number 8.

5. We're not sure what possessed this guy to say to himself, "Yeah, I guess I should go to the game dressed as Waldorf from The Muppets" but we're all for it.

Worst fans

1. For the record, I've never heard the sound of a wildebeest dying but I'm confident that it sounds something like this Spurs fan's shrieks.

2. This Jets fan made headlines for all the wrong reasons after being caught on camera punching a female Patriots fan in the face after a game.

3. It was a bad year for the Texans, including their fans, some of whom showed up uninvited at Matt Schaub's house to express their disapproval after a close loss.

4. A bitter Alabama fan made a point not to tip their Auburn-supporting waiter, probably not realizing that being a terrible person isn't going to help the Crimson Tide tackle on special teams:

5. Thousands of fickle Heat fans were seen leaving Game 6 of the NBA Finals early -- and all they missed was one of the best finishes of 2013.

6. Rob Ford will be included in several end of year lists for many reasons. Upon reflection, stealing Matt Mays' seat at a Bills game is probably the most innocuous thing he did in 2013.

Rob Ford is sitting in my seat at the Bills game. He stole my seat. I don't know what to do.

— Matt Mays (@MattMays) December 1, 2013

7. A Mets fan probably assumed he was safe behind his keyboard... that is until he was arrested for tweeting threats to people involved with the organization.

8. A man was arrested for tasering his wife, per the terms of their Monday Night Football bet, naturally.

Human anatomy

1. And top prize in the always competitive "Excessive Use of Man Boob" category goes to this B-cupped gentleman at the Brewers game.

2.Of course it was a Phillies fan who got branded by a spatula.

Groping

1. One Braves fan got pretty handsy...

2. ...But odd boob grab of the year at a sporting event had to go to this Yankees fan. Congratulations?

Drunk or otherwise incapacitated

1. "I love school spirit, but let's not get me wrong...I wouldn't have school spirit without a couple vodka waters." -- the greatest Ole Miss fan.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3qYPGeoA7w]

2. There's no crying in NASCAR. There is, however, crying in anesthesia-induced NASCAR hallucinations.

3. A drunk man in Adrian Peterson jersey fell down three rows of stadium seats. Probably isn't the real Adrian Peterson.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sadbQARtAM4]

4. Uh...it looks like this guy peed himself.

5. Here's a guy puking at a Blue Jays game. Really, that's what it is. Maybe don't watch.

Altruism

1.Bracing the fall of a fan jumping to her death kind of goes beyond altruism.

2. Just goes to show, kids: pouting works.

[mlbvideo id="30243479" width="400" height="224" /]

3. Really, though, who wouldn't pick up their favorite soccer players from the side of the road?

Nonchalance

1. Yea, so what? It's just a guy picking his nose on camera before a Knicks-Trailblazers game. Oh wait...

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBzy7tnbZBw]

2. Always pour popcorn all over yourself in a downpour, that way it gets nice and soggy.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROixfhb6ZKY]

Reversal of fortunes

1. Fan who hit a $20K half-court shot may have to give up his prize due to eligibility rules.

Yum

1. Yankees fans are so rich they chew up and spit out their cotton candy like wine tasters.

2. And finally, Oklahoma State kid remembered his baton is edible.