What is a true fan?

What is a true fan?  As we are halfway through our football season, I have been perplexed by what it means to be a true fan? To me, a fan is someone who stands by their team through thick and thin. A person that goes to every game, rain or shine, win or lose.  My boyfriend claims to be an absolute University of Houston fan. He gets season tickets every year, tailgates and goes to every game rain or shine.  I am perplexed however, by his negativity toward the football team.  I am not a die hard fan of any team.  I have my preferred teams.  At every game, Thomas gets upset and rants and raves about how poorly the Cougars are playing, even when they are winning by multiple touchdowns.  I always say “Be positive, they are winning”.  One time I even said “I was more of a fan than he is because I root for them” Thomas stated simply being positive does not make a person a fan and he is correct. He has been in a long, imperfect relationship with the cougars. He was high hopes but if someone has let you down in the past, it is hard to get your hopes up. A true fan gets emotional when their team makes mistakes. However, the Cougars are 5-0 and they deserve some praise. If we work hard, we want others to acknowledge it not just focus on our mistakes.