Top 10 most ardent fans across the world of sports

From the cricket pitches of India to the grass courts of Wimbledon; from the macho rugby players of New Zealand to the sprinters of Jamaica, sport is an entertainment like no other. And when it comes to entertainment, the driving inspiration are the fans and their support. Here is a look at some of the fans who have taken their sport to their heart, and dedicated their life to their favourite teams.

This article in itself, is as unique as the unique fans it brings to you. Attempts have been made to make such lists, but have been limited to certain clubs, countries or sports!

(10) Freddy “Sez” Schuman [Baseball]

Freddy Schuman was a New York Yankees fan, and often was a spearhead in encouraging the team and the fans alike using colourful hand-made signs. From about 1988 until his death, his presence and encouragement was a regular feature at the Yankees’ matches. He always carried a frying pan with a shamrock on it, which he believed brought luck to the team.

(9) Zema Williams “Chief Zee” [American Football]

Zema Williams, nicknamed Chief Zee is a well-known unofficial mascot of the Washington Redskins. A devout fan of the Redskins, he has missed only four home games since 1978. He is a well-loved man and popular for his American Indian headdress and the tomahawk.

(8) Wilford Jones “Crazy Ray” [American Football]

Wilford Jones (that’s his real name!) was the unofficial mascot of the Dallas Cowboys. Nicknamed the ‘whistling vendor’, he was an entertainer – His western outfits, magic tricks, trademark whistle and ‘hobby horse’ attires were always popular with the Cowboys fans. He has a phenomenal record of missing only three games in 46 seasons.

(7) Karl Ehrhardt, “The Signman” [Baseball]

Karl Ehrhardt was one of the most visible fans of the New York Mets. He was famous for displaying 20-by-26-inch cardboard signs which often echoed the fans’ thoughts and sentiments. He usually brought around 60 such signs to each match, and had a total of 1200 show-boards. His signs never hesitated in appreciating or criticizing the team and its board.

(6) Manolo el del bombo [Football]

Manuel Cáceres Artesero is an ardent fan of Valencia CF and the Spanish national football team. His commitment is unquestioned – he hitchhiked 15,800 kilometres to follow his team during the 1982 World Cup. He has a spectacular record of attending all of Spain’s international matches from 1982 to 2010! He vows to attend 12 World Cups by the end of his ‘fan career’, along with his typical large beret and his “El bombo de España” (The drum of Spain).

(5) Chaudhry Abdul Jalil “Chacha Cricket” [Cricket]

Chaudhry Abdul Jalil, more widely known as ‘Chacha Cricket’ is one of the most widely recognized cricket fans and the most popular fan of the Pakistan cricket team. He is easily identifiable with his long white beard, the characteristic green salwar kameez and his cap. He has been regularly attending Pakistan’s cricket matches since the 1980s and even left his job to pursue his passion. Currently, he is sponsored by the Pakistan Cricket Board to support the Pakistan cricket team even when Pakistan plays all its matches away from home. A well deserved #5!

(4) Giles Pellerin “The Life-long fan!” [American Football]

Giles Pellerin never played football himself, and yet he was inducted into the USC Athletic Hall of Fame – for football. A die-hard fan of the University of Southern California Trojans (USC) college football team, Giles Pellerin attended 797 consecutive USC football games over a period of 73 years until his death at age 91! Aptly, the great man breathed his last in the parking lot of the Rose Bowl, which was coincidentally the same location where he attended his first USC game.

(3) John Portsmouth “Football Club Westwood” [Football]

John Portsmouth Football Club Westwood (That’s his official name!) has 60 Portsmouth tattoos, the club crest shaved onto his head and ‘PFC’ engraved on his teeth – Portsmouth F. C. is his heart and soul! He has been regular at Portsmouth matches since 1976, wearing a large stove pipe hat and curly blue wig. The #3 on our list does not stop here: he even uses a bugle and his hand-bell, which he keeps ringing to represent the ‘Pompey Chimes’.

(2) Tim McKernan, “The Barrel Man” [American Football]

Tim McKernan was a fan of the Denver Broncos. Even in below-freezing temperatures, he attended every home game for thirty years, dressed in nothing but an orange barrel, a cowboy hat and boots. His dedication earned him a place in the VISA Hall of Fans at the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The Barrel Man, at #2, even dedicated his health and life to support the Broncos.

(1) Sudhir Kumar Chaudhary, “Indian by heart-and-soul” [Cricket]

Every fan of Team India will recognize this man – the die-hard Sachin fan who shows up at every home match of the Indian Cricket Team with his entire body painted in the national colours. Interestingly, he often uses the bicycle to reach his destinations – which include Pakistan and Bangladesh apart from various parts of India. He is an unemployed 29 year old, and gets his tickets for all the matches from Sachin Tendulkar!

Sudhir, with cricket as his religion and Sachin as his God, definitely deserves the #1 for his unyielding dedication.

A few which missed out:

There are some fans, which apart from supporting their favourites, prove to be a huge source of off-field entertainment. Here they are:

* The Hogettes [American Football]

The Hogettes are a group of 12 male Washington Redskins fans who wear women outfits, party hats and pig snouts to cheer the Redskins during their fixtures. The group, which was founded in 1983 has fifteen former members as well. The striking feature of this group is that they have raised over US$100 million for charitable causes!

* John Adams, “The Drummer” [Baseball]

John Adams is a passionate fan of the Cleveland Indians who plays his bass drum in nearly every home game of the Indians. With no shortage of recognition as well as notoriety, he receives two season tickets every year from the Cleveland Indians – for himself and his beloved drum. He is the only fan for whom a bobblehead day has been dedicated by the Indians.

* Didi Senft, “The Red Devil”

Popular as the ‘El Diablo’, or the Tour de France and Giro d’Italia devil, is well-known for his red-devil costumes at the Tour and Gira circuits since 1993. He is also an inventor who has created over 100 bicycles. Although very passionate about such races, he has landed in trouble several times for painting red trident symbols on the roads!

* Aztec Gino, “Numbah One Superfan!” [Basketball]

With Aztec warrior costume on his body, “Aztec Gino” written all over his chest, waving the flags of his beloved Boston Celtics as well as his home country, you can find Aztec Gino in carnivals all over the world. Having been to the 2006 World Cup in his Aztec garb, Aztec has been successful in differentiating himself from rest of the fans by being a crowd-pumper-upper. Although he arrived at the visible scene quite late (in 2008), he has been a devoted fan of 17 time World Champions since his college days in 1986. One of the very few dedicated fans to own a website of his own!

* Derrick Seys, “The Brick Man” [Basketball]

Better known as “The crazy dude with the brick of his head”, Derrick Seys has been an ardent fan of the Oklahoma City Thunders for the past 3 years. I wonder if he is able to see the entire court (given the brick covering his eyes), but driving more than 5,000 miles on his car to attend a few games surely shows how crazy he is about the sport and how dedicated he is to his team!

I hope this article inspires some ardent fans hidden across the globe to make their presence felt!