The following four of the most annoying and/or hurtful things NFL fans do on non-gamedays are mostly actions that can take place anytime of the year. Football is such big time sport in the USA, that many of its fans go overboard in expressing their devotion, which can irritate, annoy, and even hurt others.
Excluding and bullying others over favorite NFL teams
It's fine for people to have good-natured exchanges over the teams they follow, but when it leads to bullying and exclusion, then it's gone too far. I'll never forget what happened to me in junior high. The cafeteria was full, and when I finally found a seat, it just happened to be next to the 7th grade student body president, a loud-mouthed, fat slob. He was wearing a Pittsburgh Steelers jacket, and when he saw my Minnesota Vikings jacket, he told me I couldn't sit at the table. I was more timid back then, so I just left feeling bad. As annoying and plentiful that Broncos fans are in my area, I've never been treated like that by any of them. What goes around comes around: what if that Steelers fan was one of the 400 Super Bowl XLV ticket holders who got screwed out of watching the game from the stands at Cowboys Stadium this year?
"Local team this, local team that" amongst co-workers
It can be tortuous to work amongst co-workers who mostly follow the local or regional NFL team. I once worked in an office where the conversation every day in our small room eventually came around to "Denver Broncos this, Denver Broncos that," especially the day after the game. Those fans who like NFL teams not in their city or region have it bad enough having to listen to the media yap about the franchise and see merchandise all over town touting that team without being subjected to the incessant "home team" chatter while earning a living.
NFL dress up days at places of business
Fridays have become a time for office workers to dress down, especially on behalf of a local or national event like the Super Bowl. But what places of businesses like banks don't realize is that can be offensive to a number of their customers. I completed a transaction at my bank the Friday before Super Bowl XLV with a teller who was wearing a Pittsburgh Steelers jersey. I wasn't happy about this at all, because customers don't go to the bank to be browbeat with "walking advertisements" for NFL teams or any sports team. This can even cause friction amongst the staff, as one car salesman was recently fired for wearing a Packers tie at his former Chicago employer.
Dressing babies and small children up in NFL clothing
Parents who dress up their little ones in the clothing of their favorite teams from sports leagues like the NFL should think twice. Given that we all may have experienced past lives, what if the Washington Redskins-loving parents dress up their infant daughter in Redskins jammies, even though the baby's most recent past life may have involved being a Dallas Cowboys fan, then wonder why the kid won't stop screaming and crying? If one doesn't believe in past lives, why force your NFL dogma onto a baby or small child in the first place? Let the little kids decide who he or she will like, if any team, when they're older.
Sources:
Sean Leahy, 400 fans turned away from Super Bowl XLV after seating snafu: http://www.usatoday.com/communities/thehuddle/post/2011/02/some-temporary-seats-still-not-ready-for-super-bowl-xlv-at-cowboys-stadium/1, February 6, 2011, USA Today
Man fired for wearing Packers tie after beating Chicago Bears:
http://thejerseychaser.com/2011/man-fired-for-wearing-packers-tie-after-beaing-chicago-bears/, January 25, 2011, The Jersey Chaser
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