Sports Fandom. It plays an incredibly vital roll in our lives. Growing up we attach ourselves to teams (read: brands) that symbolize all that is "good" and "bad" in the world. The team with your favorite color is your favorite team. The player with the coolest hair is your favorite player. The franchise with the most wins should always win, and when they don’t, the other team becomes your mortal enemy. And lets not forget, this is not a fleeting devotion. This is for life.

But, what about in the afterlife?
Are you so hardcore a fan that your fandom lives on past your expiration date?

That’s the question the ESPN television network is asking in its spellbinding new docu-short Team Spirit. Directed by the legendary filmmaker Errol Morris, Team Spirit shines light on the quirky if not somewhat inspiring activity of sports-themed funerals. Team emblazoned caskets, sports flag wrapped hertz cars, tombstones engraved with team insignias. This is the story of “super fans”. Ones who loved the game in life and seemingly in death. ESPN’s new slogan of “It’s Not Crazy, It’s Sports” is perfectly contextualized in a film on what would otherwise be considered a bit, well . . . yeah, crazy. But thru the lens of Morris, the subject matter is delicately handled, with beauty, grace and given the gravitas it deserves.

Take a look:

With the residue of Olympic-ennui freshly on our minds, it’s easy to muster up emotions of deeply held love for a competition, athleticism and a sporting entity that is larger than us, yet relatable and worldly. Understanding sports fandom or just sportsmanship in general is to understand true brand dedication. Where inspiration, emotion and a grand sense of dramatic legacy intermesh, interesting things come to the fore.

Links to consider:

http://espn.go.com/