'Sports Steve' Takes His Football Cheering Seriously

As we mere mortal fans prepare to watch today's American Football Conference championship game between the Baltimore Ravens and the New England Patriots, an event on Friday reminded me where the word "fan" comes from.

That's right — fanatic.

As in "Sports Steve" LaPlanche of Pasadena.

LaPlanche traveled from his Anne Arundel County home to the Giant on Centre Park Drive in Columbia Friday to attend a pep rally thrown by the Baltimore Ravens Purple Friday Caravan.

While many people were dressed in the black and purple of the Ravens to show support for the home team, LaPlanche definitely stood out.

Perhaps it was the cape adorned with all sorts of patches, logos and "Sports Steve" boldly embroidered across the back.

Perhaps it was the black face paint.

Perhaps it was the 51 pounds of black, gold, purple and football-shaped beads hanging from his neck.

Indeed, there was no way to mistake to which team LaPlanche pledges his allegiance — he's a Ravens fan through and through.

More importantly, he said, he's a die-hard Baltimore football fan.

"I haven't missed a Baltimore football home game since 1956," LaPlanche said. "That covers the Colts, the Stars, the Stallions and the Ravens, and I've held season tickets for each and every one of them."

LaPlanche is such an over-the-top fan that he was elected to membership in the Professional Football Ultimate Fan Association as a member of the Class of 2008.

Most of us don a purple sweatshirt or jersey to watch weekly Ravens games. We might throw a cookout, prepare some special foods or buy a bigger television to get the best possible view of the game.

But the game day traditions practiced by most of us make us look like slackers compared to LaPlanche and the few others like him.