Top 5 best feelings as a sports fan

5. Brady - Signing the Most Highly Sought-after Free Agent

This feeling is mainly reserved for fans of high market teams, but nonetheless having the biggest free agent target choose your team is one of the quickest ways to boost your spirits.

As a Phillies fan, I have been fortunate enough to experience this rush of excitement quite a few times, and it never gets old. Getting that Twitter notification from an insider like Jeff Passan saying the biggest superstar free agent has left their previous team for yours makes the offseason grind all the more bearable.

I was 12 years old when Bryce Harper signed his 13-year $330 million contract to come north to Philadelphia, and I still remember how ecstatic I was for what was to come. It was also more of the same when the Phillies signed Trea Turner in late 2022.

It doesn't matter what kind of day you're having; after the most proven, elite talent on the market inks a deal with your team, all you can do is think about the sky-high possibilities for next season. That huge smile doesn't leave your face for the rest of the offseason.

4. Chase - Beating Your Biggest Rival

If you were to ask any sports fan about what they wanted the most out of their team in a season outside of a championship, they would say beating their rival would be the most important thing.

Beating your rival is more than just winning a game.

It's about having bragging rights for the next year until you play again. It’s about getting the opportunity to ruin their season and knock them out of the playoffs.

It's also about memorable plays that will get talked about until the end of time.

You also know as a fan that records get thrown out the window in these games. Your team may not have a win on the season and your rival may be undefeated but there is still a real chance that an upset could happen.

From trophies, taunts and traditions, rivalries truly make sports more entertaining than they already are and make you enjoy fandom even more.

3. Evan - Snapping a Long Playoff Drought

Being a Phillies fan now isn’t bad; they’ve made the postseason every year since 2022. Before then, though? It was the closest thing to hell.

The team sucked for the better part of a decade, and things didn’t look up until the off-season of 2019 when they picked up JT Realmuto, Bryce Harper and Jean Segura.

It took a couple seasons of .500 baseball and Joe Girardi getting fired in early 2022, but as a sports fan, I have never felt a moment quite like when Brandon Marsh came in to make a grab in center field in Houston to clinch a playoff spot for the Phils.

The relief felt from finally getting back to the postseason was unlike anything I had ever felt, and even though the season ended with an eventual loss to the team that the Phillies beat to get there, I have nothing but fond memories of that 2022 postseason run.

Growing up, I had seen the Phillies go through a major rebuild, which included watching the core pieces from the ‘08 team get old, and eventually get traded. Draft picks didn’t really pan out, and free agent signings were basically just washed-up veterans (except for you, Cutch, we loved you).

My point is, after going through all of that, the wave of relief and joy felt after finally getting back into the dance is a different feeling from any other you can get in sports, but it is super satisfying and gives you justification for sticking by the organization through all of the down years.

2. Dan - Winning a “Winner take all” Playoff Game

When it comes to a Game 7, you either love the way you got there or you hate the way you got there. To start, your team made the playoffs.

Congratulations, you’re already better than 60-70% of the league. In a specific round of the playoffs, however, maybe your team has you in doubt after blowing a 3-1 lead. Maybe you’re getting your hopes up after coming back from down 3-1. Or maybe it’s been a really enjoyable series with back-and-forth action.

But when it comes to this Game 7, it’s not just win or go home for the players on the field, rink or court. It’s win or go home and go through an earlier offseason than you hoped for.

So, when it comes to the evening of this detrimental game, there are two ways to watch it: you can either have your friends and family in the living room with you and a nice food spread.

But of course, that comes with the risk of your sister-in-law saying one comment that puts you over the edge. Or, you watch it alone in the basement with a frozen pizza- but have to risk celebrating alone… in a basement…

Then, the end of the game. Your team is up by only one. You watch the clock get closer and closer to 0:00 and, suddenly, it feels like the longest minute of your life.

As you watch that Hail Mary batted down, that puck cleared out of the zone, that batter swing-and-miss, meaning the end. The end of your anxiety as you watch your team advance to the next round, or even win the championship, is dramatic.

But as you read this, you didn’t even think about that last situation from the other perspective. Nobody wants to envision their team losing two of the greatest words in sports: Game Seven.

1. Nate - Winning a Championship

There truly is no other feeling like watching your team win a championship.

In that moment, all the past playoff heartbreaks, the draft busts, failed free agent signings and all other past mistakes are forgotten. All the time spent supporting your team through collapses, rebuilds, and losing seasons becomes worth it.

You never forget where you were when you watch your team win it all. You never forget the special moments during the playoff run. It creates memories that fanbases cherish forever.

In the end, the main hope for all sports fans is to see their team win a championship. Whether you watch them win their first or their fifth, seeing your team win it all is the best feeling you can experience as a sports fan.

Brady Welsh is a second-year student majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email bdw5435@psu.edu.

Chase Fisher is a second-year student majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, please email ctf5198@psu.edu.

Evan Pochas is a third-year student majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email ejp5753@psu.edu.

Daniel Studer is a fourth-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email dbs5866@psu.edu

Nate Johns is a second-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email jzn5275@psu.edu.