Editing Fan (person) (section)

==Etymology==
Merriam-Webster, the Oxford dictionary and other sources define "fan" as a shortened version of the word ''[[Fanaticism|fanatic]]''.  ''Fanatic'' itself, introduced into English around 1550, means "marked by excessive enthusiasm and often intense uncritical devotion". It comes from the Modern [[Latin (language)|Latin]] ''fanaticus'', meaning "insanely but divinely inspired".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Das |first=Anaisha |title=Gatekeeping ruins fandoms |url=https://thewildcattribune.com/13938/opinion/gatekeeping-ruins-fandoms/ |access-date=2022-05-03 |website=The Wildcat Tribune}}</ref> The word originally pertained to a [[temple]] or sacred place [Latin ''fanum'', poetic English ''fane'']. The modern sense of "extremely zealous" dates from around 1647; the use of ''fanatic'' as a noun dates from 1650. However, the term "fancy" for an intense liking of something (a usage attested by 1545),<ref>{{cite web|title='fancy, v.' |work=OED Online|publisher=Oxford University Press|url=http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/68026|date=July 2018|url-access=subscription|access-date=October 16, 2018}}</ref> while being of a different etymology, coincidentally carries a less intense but somewhat similar connotation to "fanatic".

Use of "the fancy" to mean avid sports enthusiasts emerged as an [[American English|Americanism]] in the mid-19th century.<ref name="BBCblog">{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-magazine-monitor-34298659 |title=The Vocabularist: Are fans fanatical or fanciful? |publisher=BBC News  |date=September 22, 2015 |access-date=September 3, 2016}}</ref> ''The Dickson Baseball Dictionary'' cites William Henry Nugent's work asserting that it was derived from ''the fancy'', a term referring to the fans of a specific hobby or sport from the early 18th century to the 19th, especially to the followers of [[boxing]].<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=fan&allowed_in_frame=0|title=Fan (n.2)|author=Douglas Harper |work= Online Etymology Dictionary |access-date=May 22, 2012}}</ref> According to that theory, it was originally shortened to ''fance'' then just to the homonym ''fans''.{{failed verification|date=October 2018}} ''The Great American Baseball Scrapbook'' attributes the term to [[Chris Von der Ahe]], owner of the Saint Louis Brown Stockings in 1882. Von der Ahe sold tickets for 25 cents, hoping the many patrons would purchase his beer; the low ticket price helped him lead the stats in attendance. He called the fanatics filling his stands "fans".<ref>{{cite book|author= Suehsdorf |title=The Great American Baseball Scrapbook |year=1978 |publisher=Random House |isbn=0-394-50253-1}}</ref>

''Supporter'' is a synonym for "fan" that predates the latter term and is still commonly used in [[British English]],<ref>{{Cite book |last=Thomas |first=Rebecca S. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mUcdEAAAQBAJ&dq=Supporter+is+a+synonym+to+%22fan%22&pg=PA180 |title=Crime and Madness in Modern Austria: Myth, Metaphor and Cultural Realities |date=2021-02-03 |publisher=Cambridge Scholars Publishing |isbn=978-1-5275-6560-9 |language=en}}</ref> especially to denote fans of [[sport]]s teams. However, the term "fan" has become popular throughout the English-speaking world, including the [[United Kingdom]]. The term ''supporter'' is also used in a [[political]] sense in the United States, for a fan of a [[politician]], a [[political party]] and a controversial issue.