20 years ago, number one tennis player, Monica Seles, was brutally stabbed during her quarterfinal match in Hamburg, Germany. After winning her match, Seles was resting on a seat located just in front of the fans. Still indulging a memorable victory, a man grabbed a nine-inch boning knife with two hands and stabbed Seles in the back. Everyone in the stadium was stunned seeing Seles on the ground screaming for help. Soon, she was escorted to the nearest hospital for treatment, where she narrowly escaped death.

The cruel stabbing of Seles has forever changed the way society perceives fans. After investigation, it was discovered that a German man named Gunter Parche stabbed Seles. Parche was a fanatical fan of Steffi Graf, who was a big rival of Seles. To prevent Seles from winning more tournaments, Parche stabbed her. However, Parche didn’t know that Graf would be appalled at the way Seles vanished from tennis and that his brutality would taint Graf’s career thereafter.

This incident has brought up many questions behind the crazed intensity of fans. Among the people curious to know more is sports psychologist Gerry Heisler, who researched the extreme enthusiasm of fans.

Heisler believes fans develop a strong connection between their team for three reasons. The first reason behind a fan’s dedication is living in the same town the team plays in. The second is that the fan likes the team’s attitude or style of play. Lastly, a person may love a team because he or she loves the sport the team plays. 

“I think fans like a team because they fit into one or all three of those categories,” Heisler said. “I am a huge follower of Mizzou Athletics because I live in Columbia and love football, basketball and baseball.”

Senior Adam Zaghouani considers himself a fervent fan of tennis player Roger Federer. He memorized the 31 matches Federer played against his rival Rafael Nadal when they played, mainly because he finds enjoyment in doing so. Zaghouani said he never wants to miss out on any match Federer plays.

“The reason I like Federer is because the way he plays,” Zaghouani said. “His elegance and style of play is fun to watch.”

Zaghouani also said he enjoys Federer because of the humbleness and compassion he brings to the sport. Federer has made many donations for kids who can’t afford to buy the racquets and shoes in order to play.

“Federer is exceptional because he always keeps a calm demeanor on the court and outside the court,” Zaghouani said. “After winning 17 grand slam titles and being the considered the greatest of all time, Federer still has lots of respect for others.”

Another zealous fan at RBHS, student-teacher Galen Hoft follows the St.Louis Rams. Hoft has developed an inclination toward the Rams since his childhood. Since then, Hoft has loved to watch the Rams play.

“I grew up in St. Louis and throughout junior high and high school played football,” Hoft said. “The reason I like them is a mixture of of something that I liked doing when I was younger and the memory of spending fun times with my dad.’’

Even though the Rams aren’t title contenders this year, Hoft still has confidence in his team. He said the team still has many young players that haven’t reached their prime and believes that the Rams have the potential to be a dominant team in their league in a couple of years. He also believes he is different from other fans.

“Every day I google ‘St. Louis Rams’ and read every article that the search returns, which is something I don’t think most people have the time to do,” Hoft said. “I also have a lot of pride for my home city, so that keeps me going.”

  By Harsh Singh