Fangirls v. Sports Fans

Heart Month

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Men are often celebrated for passionately supporting sports teams—spending money, getting emotional, and “fangirling” over players—while women are frequently mocked for showing the same level of enthusiasm for musicians, makeup, athletes, or concerts. The double standard treats identical behaviors differently depending on gender, even though both are simply forms of fandom and joy. We take a deep dive into this idea and stigma with Professor Mary Zaborskis from Penn State Harrisburg.

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Born in 1947 as a “blue baby” with undiagnosed Tetralogy of Fallot, he was initially given little chance of surviving childhood. After moving to Carlisle, it took seven years before a cardiologist in Philadelphia agreed to treat him. Over the decades, he underwent multiple major heart surgeries: a Blalock‑Taussig‑Thomas shunt in 1958, a Waterston shunt in 1967, and finally a full TOF repair in 1980 by Dr. John Kirklin—an operation that transformed his stamina and daily life.
His long-term care continued through several cardiologists, most notably Dr. William Davidson at Penn State Hershey, who guided him through a pulmonary valve replacement in 2005 and later the implantation of an ICD to manage arrhythmias and ventricular tachycardia. After Dr. Davidson’s passing in 2022, he transitioned to the care of Dr. Elizabeth Adams.
Following Dr. Davidson’s advice, he became active in the Adult Congenital Heart Association (ACHA), finding community, education, and purpose as a peer mentor for others with CHD—especially those with TOF. He emphasizes that people with congenital heart disease are never “fixed,” only “repaired,” and often require ongoing interventions throughout life.
Despite the challenges, he has lived a full, rich life, with a family he’s deeply proud of, and a personal mission to support and reassure others navigating CHD.

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Men are often celebrated for passionately supporting sports teams&mdash;spending money, getting emotional, and &ldquo;fangirling&rdquo; over players&mdash;while women are frequently mocked for showing the same level of enthusiasm for musicians, makeup, athletes, or concerts. The double standard treats identical behaviors differently depending on gender, even though both are simply forms of fandom and joy. We take a deep dive into this idea and stigma with Professor Mary Zaborskis from Penn State Harrisburg.
(00:21:03)
Born in 1947 as a &ldquo;blue baby&rdquo; with undiagnosed Tetralogy of Fallot, he was initially given little chance of surviving childhood. After moving to Carlisle, it took seven years before a cardiologist in Philadelphia agreed to treat him. Over the decades, he underwent multiple major heart surgeries: a Blalock‑Taussig‑Thomas shunt in 1958, a Waterston shunt in 1967, and finally a full TOF repair in 1980 by Dr. John Kirklin&mdash;an operation that transformed his stamina and daily life. His long-term care continued through several cardiologists, most notably Dr. William Davidson at Penn State Hershey, who guided him through a pulmonary valve replacement in 2005 and later the implantation of an ICD to manage arrhythmias and ventricular tachycardia. After Dr. Davidson&rsquo;s passing in 2022, he transitioned to the care of Dr. Elizabeth Adams. Following Dr. Davidson&rsquo;s advice, he became active in the Adult Congenital Heart Association (ACHA), finding community, education, and purpose as a peer mentor for others with CHD&mdash;especially those with TOF. He emphasizes that people with congenital heart disease are never &ldquo;fixed,&rdquo; only &ldquo;repaired,&rdquo; and often require ongoing interventions throughout life. Despite the challenges, he has lived a full, rich life, with a family he&rsquo;s deeply proud of, and a personal mission to support and reassure others navigating CHD.

When people come together and talk about really interesting topics, great questions spark better understanding and opportunities for new ideas to form. On The Spark from WITF, host Asia Tabb starts conversations about what’s happening in the world and at home. Share your ideas at https://witf.org/programs/the-spark.

When people come together and talk about really interesting topics, great questions spark better understanding and opportunities for new ideas to form. On The Spark from WITF, host Asia Tabb starts conversations about what&rsquo;s happening in the world and at home. Share your ideas at https://witf.org/programs/the-spark.

The Spark

When people come together and talk about really interesting topics, great questions spark better understanding and opportunities for new ideas to form. On The Spark from WITF, host Asia Tabb start the conversations about what’s happening in the world and at home. Share your ideas at https://witf.org/programs/the-spark.

When people come together and talk about really interesting topics, great questions spark better understanding and opportunities for new ideas to form. On The Spark from WITF, host Asia Tabb start the conversations about what&rsquo;s happening in the world and at home. Share your ideas at&nbsp;<a href="https://witf.org/programs/the-spark">https://witf.org/programs/the-spark</a>.