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A short essay on fandom in the face of tragedy

It’s okay to say, in your shock, your frustration, that the franchise is cursed. It is understandable if you want to walk away, step aside from being so committed, so devoted, to your team. It is even logical in the face of the illogical, the unfair.

An injury like Caris LeVert’s, so random, so public, will devastate any fan, from the most casual to the most fanatic. And the instant reaction is why? Not just why it happened, but why do you so entwine your own personality in that of the team, the player.

Fandom is, as Irina Pavlova used to say, “irrational exuberance,” borrowing a phrase coined to describe investor sentiment.