DEVELOPMENT OF IDEAS DIRECTIONS: Read the essay excerpt. Then, answer the questions that follow. Fans I’m truly amazed at the ph
enomenon we know as "being a fan." You know the type; he paints his face green and yellow in team colors to show team "spirit." Or she can’t go to sleep at night until she knows the final score of last night’s late game. What do we make of this? Are these people delusional? Are they fools? Consider the idea that the team you are rooting for is nothing but a bunch of professional millionaires who have no loyalty whatsoever to the team they play for. If someone will pay them more, they will leave. In two seconds. Yet, we the fans are willing to suffer, ache, and agonize for that same team, even though what we are really rooting for are the team’s uniforms, not its actual players. With all that said, have I given up my allegiance to my team? Not on your life! For what you come to recognize is that it isn’t the players or the "team" that you’re actually rooting for but the very idea of being for something, being part of something bigger and more important and more fun than you are. It doesn’t matter that the players aren’t loyal and don’t care a hoot about you. You are loyal and you do care a hoot, a big hoot, about them. And that’s all that matters. 1. What is the writer’s basic position in "Fans"? 2. What is the basic reasoning behind the writer’s position in "Fans"? 3. What evidence or reasoning does the writer supply to support his position in "Fans"? 4. What final conclusion does the writer give in "Fans" to sum up his or her position?
