In the time I've been blogging about sports I've noticed that a lot of fans tend to be a little on the sensitive side. People are always calling out "haters" and getting defensive about their teams and players. I'll admit that when I was younger I used to be the same way, but now that I've matured a bit I don't see what the point is. Why do people care if other fans hate their teams?

While pondering this question I asked myself what reasons one might have for hating a team. I figured that there were three categories these reasons fell into:

1. The team is traditionally a rival of your favorite team. Just as animals fight over their territory, teams in close geographical proximity fight for the right to call themselves the best in the area. Potential rivalries are abundant with modern sports relying on divisional alignments as they do, but some run deeper than that. We all know the big ones. Yankees and Red Sox. Bears and Packers. Giants and Dodgers. Redskins and Cowboys. Cubs and Cardinals. To be a fan of some teams you are required to hate others. It's not necessarily logical, but it's a tradition that makes being a fan more exciting. For instance, the Cardinals (who have won more World Series than any other National League team) hating the Cubs (who have gone almost a century without winning a World Series) makes no sense other than the fact that the two teams have traditionally competed for the hearts of a large portion of the Midwest.

2. You're jealous of the team's success. Hey, there's no shame in this one. I want my teams to win like anyone else. If some other team wins all the time, therefore preventing my team (or that of someone else who has waited a long time) from doing so, I'm going to hate that team and root against them in hopes that there will be some justice in the sports world. That's precisely why I (and probably most people) hate the Yankees. Their fans expect the Playoffs every year while many of us can only hope to have one year as our moment in the sun. It's just not fair.

3. The team represents something that you hate. Each team has its own "culture" associated with it. Many elements go into forming this culture, including (but not limited to) the team's history, the city in which the team plays, the characteristics of the team's fans and the team's management. If there's something you don't like about one of the team's cultural elements, that could become a reason for hating that team. The Oakland Raiders are a good example of a team with a distinctive culture surrounding it. Al Davis runs his organization like a family and expects loyalty while preaching a "commitment to excellence." Their fans show up with faces painted silver and black, and are known to be loud and proud in proclaiming their team's superiority. Back in the old days the Raiders were known as one of the most aggressive, dirty teams in football, an image which continues to this day for a lot of people. Each of these qualities is potentially lovable or hatable. You could love them because they show that the Raiders are dedicated to winning at all costs, but you could also hate them because they're obnoxious and excessive.

The thing is, there's really no need to get upset if your team is hated for any of these reasons. For #1, the hate comes with the territory. It's nothing personal to hate a rival team. You simply can't possibly expect the fans of certain teams to embrace yours. For #2, being hated is more a badge of honor than anything. They don't like you because you have something they don't, but you shouldn't have to be apologetic for enjoying your team's success. It's why we all stick with our teams in the first place. For #3, it may seem like something more personal if another fan hates your team for reasons that could reflect on you in some way, but being a part of a team's culture is one of those things that makes being a fan special. Outsiders don't "get it." The experience is something you can only fully appreciate if you are one of the diehards, so it shouldn't matter if other fans don't like it. I'll admit that there are certain teams whose fans are a big reason for my not liking them, but I can also admit that I'd probably be just like them if I were a part of their team's culture.

Hating is an integral part of the sports fan's experience. Hate gives games more drama and rivalries more intensity. Even though it can be a bitter experience to see a team you hate succeed, it's also that much more exciting to see them fail. Following sports gives us a chance to experience the joy of winning and the disappointment of losing and also to learn how to deal with both. It's inevitable that you'll grow to despise a few teams along the way while learning from them at the same time. It's all a part of being a true fan. The next time someone hates on your team, don't take it personally. It would be a lot more boring if no one cared enough to hate.