When Did You Stop Calling Yourself a 'Sports Fan' and Start Calling Yourself a 'Bettor'?

[FadeThePublic]

Weird question that hit me recently: when did I stop being a "Browns fan who bets" and become a "bettor who happens to follow the Browns"?

Like there was a shift somewhere. I used to define myself by my team loyalty. Now I define myself by my betting approach.

When did sports fandom become secondary to betting for you guys? Or has it?

 

[CoachTony_Bets]

This question makes me uncomfortable because I know the answer.

I'm a Michigan alum. Used to bleed maize and blue. Now I bet against Michigan regularly when the line is wrong.

The moment I could bet against my own team without hesitation was when I knew I'd crossed over.

 

[TaffyTipster]

F**k mate this is a hard one.

I'm Welsh. Wales rugby is my whole identity.

But last Six Nations I laid Wales on the exchange three times.

Made money but felt dirty about it.

Still call myself a Wales fan but... am I really?

 

[SharpEddie47]

I can pinpoint the exact moment for me.

Someone asked "what do you do for fun?" and I said "I bet on sports" not "I watch sports."

The activity changed from consumption to production. From fan to bettor.

 

[ParlayPrincess_88]

Wait I don't think I've made this shift?

I'm a Chiefs fan first! Betting is just extra fun!

Do people really stop being fans?? That's so sad!

 

[oli_sussex]

Made shift years ago. Now bettor first.

Brighton season ticket holder still. But identity primarily betting-focused.

 

[Klaus]

Never identified as "Bayern München fan" primarily.

Always approached sports analytically. Betting natural extension.

Identity: analyst who bets, not fan who bets.

 

[DublinDegen]

i dont even know what i am anymore... not really a fan of anything... just need action... bet on sports i dont care about... bettor without the fan part i guess...

 

[FadeThePublic]

Conor that's the extreme end of what I'm talking about.

When sports become just vehicles for betting, not things you actually care about.

 

[SharpEddie47]

The concerning part is realizing you don't enjoy sports without money on them anymore.

I watched a playoff game with no bet last year. Found it boring. That scared me.

 

[CoachTony_Bets]

Eddie that's dark man.

Do you still love football or do you just love betting on football?

 

[SharpEddie47]

Honestly Tony? Not sure anymore.

The lines blurred somewhere and I can't untangle them.

 

[TaffyTipster]

That's the thing innit.

Used to love rugby for rugby.

Now I love rugby because it's profitable for me.

Different emotion entirely.

 

[Klaus]

Transformation from intrinsic to extrinsic motivation.

Original love: sport itself.
Current state: sport as profitable activity.

Fundamental shift in relationship.

 

[ParlayPrincess_88]

You guys are scaring me!

I don't want to stop loving sports!

 

[oli_sussex]

Princess, you're early in betting journey. Shift happens gradually.

Most don't notice until it's complete.

 

[ThePuntingProf]

This is quite a poignant question that touches on something I have contemplated extensively, when I began supporting Arsenal in the 1970s it was pure fandom, I attended matches at Highbury with my father and the emotional connection to the club was entirely separate from any financial consideration, I did not begin betting until the mid-1990s and even then I maintained clear separation between my identity as Arsenal supporter and my identity as someone who bet on football, however over the decades that separation has eroded, I can no longer say with honesty that I am primarily an Arsenal fan who happens to bet, I am now primarily someone who bets on football who happens to have historical connection to Arsenal, this transformation occurred so gradually that I cannot identify a specific moment, it was more like watching the tide come in, imperceptible in any given moment but undeniable over time, what concerns me most is that I no longer experience the pure joy of watching Arsenal win that I felt as a young man, instead I experience satisfaction at correctly predicting the outcome or frustration at an incorrect prediction, the emotional center has shifted from the club to the bet and I am not certain this is a positive development in my life.

 

[TaffyTipster]

Prof that's really honest mate.

And really sad.

 

[CoachTony_Bets]

Yeah Prof that hit hard.

"The emotional center has shifted from the club to the bet."

That's exactly what's happened to a lot of us.

 

[FadeThePublic]

I'd argue it's not necessarily bad though.

Why is being a "bettor" worse than being a "fan"?

One involves skill and profit, the other is just tribal loyalty to a logo.