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There's More to Being a Sports Fan Than You Think

I know a lot of folks think they're football fans without considering what has to be done to prepare for the upcoming season. For some reason, they think they can just wile away the summer and start their TV football viewing with no preparation. Serious fans, however, know that the key to successful sports viewing is preparation, lots of preparation.
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ORLANDO, FL - JANUARY 01: Wisconsin Badgers fans watch the action in the second half against the South Carolina Gamecocks during the Capital One Bowl on January 1, 2014 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Scott Halleran/Getty Images)
Scott Halleran via Getty Images
ORLANDO, FL - JANUARY 01: Wisconsin Badgers fans watch the action in the second half against the South Carolina Gamecocks during the Capital One Bowl on January 1, 2014 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Scott Halleran/Getty Images)

You're probably thinking it's a great summer what with all the hot weather and sunshine. And maybe it is for you, but clearly, you're not a serious sports fan.

I'd like to be sitting outside in the backyard reading a trashy novel while enjoying some fruity alcoholic drink with an umbrella in it. But I simply don't have the time.

My summers aren't leisurely idylls filled with endless days of doing nothing. I've got training to do because, in case you hadn't noticed, the NFL football season has already started.

I know a lot of folks think they're football fans without considering what has to be done to prepare for the upcoming season. For some reason, they think they can just wile away the summer and start their TV football viewing with no preparation. Serious fans, however, know that the key to successful sports viewing is preparation, lots of preparation.

Before last year's Super Bowl was even over, I began the quest for a successful 2014-2015 viewing season. I had managed to make it through the previous one with an older 46-inch plasma screen TV but I knew I couldn't likely survive another fall with a less than optimal viewing surface.

So I replaced the old TV with a brand new 55-inch LED screen complete with surround sound speakers and 3D capability just in case the NFL broadcasts go 3D this year. The new TV meant buying a new rocker-recliner, one with cupholders and a small, built-in fridge on the side.

Thankfully, the hockey season extended well into June this year so I could use it as my tryout period for the new TV and chair combo. After the Super Bowl, I dedicated myself to daily viewings of hockey games and slowly built myself up to watching multiple games on one day during the playoffs.

I'm proud to say that I managed the hockey playoffs very well and there was every indication that I would have a successful kickoff for football viewing this fall. But once the Stanley Cup was awarded in June, I had to fight the urge to become complacent.

It would have been easy to simply rest on my laurels (and my rocker-recliner) and foolishly assume that I was ready for September. Like so many amateurs, I could have lounged around watching movies and the occasional golf tournament and figured I was ready for the upcoming season.

But I didn't do that because I knew better. Past experience has taught me that serious fandom is a 24/7 commitment. Take your eye off the ball and the screen for even a day and you can lose your viewing edge in no time.

I knew what other veteran fans knew -- that the NFL season may begin in September but that there's a little something called preseason that sneaks up on you so fast that, if you're not prepared, you might well miss it. The Hall of Fame game was on August 3 -- that's right, August 3.

If you weren't ready, you would have been left behind before the real season even began. You can't just slide from one season to another or one sport to another without preparation.

Has your basement beer fridge been serviced? Is your backup basement beer fridge functioning? Do you even have a backup basement beer fridge?

Check your pantry for chips, dip and nuts. You don't have to stock up for the entire season but you should have enough to last you at least until November. Rookies think they can buy provisions every game day as needed but it only takes one hurricane or power outage to disabuse a novice fan of that notion.

Speaking of power outages, do you have your portable gasoline-powered generator? I didn't think so. Well, if you don't want to break your string of consecutive games watched, I suggest you buy one now.

There are lots of other things I could advise you about like backup sweat pants, an alarm clock and a self-catheterization kit but it's best you learn them on your own. For now, just vow to take your fan status seriously and commit to the entire season.

If you're good, I mean really good, maybe you'll end up like me and become a two-letter man and handle both the NFL and NHL at once. Remember, I'm rooting for you.

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