FanSided Fan of the Year contest, get on Sports Illustrated!

In conjunction with Sports Illustrated, learn how you can enter the FanSided Fan of the Year contest to prove you’re the biggest sports fan and you can get some incredible recognition to the sports world.

To be a sports fan sure takes a lot of time, patience and an allegiance bounded to your soul. It’s not easy being a sports fan but at the end of the day, once your team makes it all the way and brings home a championship, it just feels extra special to those that stuck with their team through thick and thin.

We here at FanSided want to know what makes die-hard sports fans so loyal. We’re a company built on bringing unique analysis on the teams we love from the perspective of the fans and well, our friends at Sports Illustrated gave us a pretty unique idea.

I’m sure you’ve all heard about their “Sportsman of the Year” award in which they give it to an athlete of team that embodies the spirit of sportsmanship and achievement. It sparked FanSided to come up with something similar.

We want to recognize the fans that make the those athletes and teams fight to bring a championship into their lives. For the first time ever, FanSided, in conjunction with Sports Illustrated, is launching the inaugural “FanSided Fan of the Year” contest.

We want to hear from all the true fans out there. Fans that are dedicated no matter what their final record states. Fans that hit the bleachers and stay until the bitter end because they won’t leave until it’s over. Fans that will cherish every game whether it’s a win or loss because well, it’s in their blood. We want to see who truly has “Fansmanship” in the grand scheme of it all.

Sep 27, 2015; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; A fan cheers on the New York Jets during the second quarter against the Philadelphia Eagles at MetLife Stadium. The Philadelphia Eagles defeated the New York Jets 24-17. Mandatory Credit: Steven Ryan-USA TODAY Sports

What is Fansmanship? Just as athletes exhibit and strive for good sportsmanship, fans strive to exhibit good Fansmanship. Good Fansmanship means representing the teams you follow and the communities those teams represent in a positive way at all times thus perpetuating all that is good about sports and sports fandom. Every fan has a story. We want to hear yours.

What qualifies someone to be the FanSided Sports Fan of the Year? The FanSided Sports Fan of the Year is a person who exemplifies dedication, integrity and Fansmanship all for the love of the game.

Here’s how to enter: Send us a two-minute video or a 200-word essay to FanOfTheYear@FanSided.com telling us your story and explaining why you should be named FanSided Fan of the Year. We’ll review all submissions and narrow down the field to five finalists. Each finalist will receive a one-year subscription to Sports Illustrated and will be interviewed and profiled on FanSided.com. The grand prize winner will be featured in Sports Illustrated magazine!

Nothing would bring more joy to my heart or the readers of The Jet Press if the final winner is indeed a fan that screams on game day, J-E-T-S JETS JETS JETS!!! Jets Nation, sound off and let your presence be known to FanSided so we can proudly say, a Jets fan won this contest!

For official rules and much more, please read everything you need to know here.