Are You a SuperFan?

March 7, 2023

Are You a SuperFan?

By Chris Sprague

It becomes quickly self-evident. You remember when and where it happens. My “coming out” took place at the Boston Open in Weston. It’s a must-attend event on my annual calendar.

My moment came in the 2022 finals watching Johan du Randt and Steven Mitchell (hometown favorites) play against Drew Broderick and Tomas Christian. The epic match took 3 hours and 24 minutes. The first set took two hours to get to the tiebreaker. Click here for the link to the Live Stream. I’m the guy with the red parka, gray hair, and the “Go Jo” cheer.

Check out the play at 4-4 in the second set at 2:22. The points that follow show what I refer to as “Chaos Paddle.” You’ll find the explosive back wall overheads and find Broderick ending up on the other side of the net. Also in an attempt to shorten the match, Johan began targeting players simply to end the often 100-shot points. SuperFans will watch Broderick and Christian win the second set tiebreaker and know the match outcome.

SuperFan Spectrum - Where Do You Fall?

Take a look at the Spectrum below. Find the segment that best describes you. We’d love to hear from other SuperFans. Tell us about your “moment” and/or send us a photo or video link.

SuperFan Spectrum

Chris Sprague has played paddle for the last 15 years in Massachusetts at Cape Ann and Concord. He studies how health care, racquet sports, and other segments get disrupted or transformed over time. Professionally, he was a partner at Accenture, a VP at Gartner, and a lecturer and fellow at Boston University with a focus on strategy and technology. Chris is working on an article on the evolution of platform tennis over the last 30 years. He can be texted at 781 640 0494 if you have specific thoughts on when, how, and where the game changed.