Your last sentence describes the typical sports wacko mentality perfectly.
When we moved to E. TN six year ago, little did we know what was in store for us regarding sports. Football. Basketball. “The Vols.” It’s mentioned in the pulpit.
The first time we visited Home Depot here we needed to find a floor worker to get some info. Employees wear orange. Everybody was wearing orange (it was a weekend). Freaky and funny.