Justine Gubar, a producer at ESPN (the television sports channel), researched and studied the reasons behind violent celebrations and protests by fans whose teams either win or lose a sporting event. While reading a summary of her book “Fanaticus,” I could not help but see the many parallels that exist between the rioting generated by sports fans and the death and mayhem inflicted by fans of religion on those who are on the opposing “team.”       Celebrations of victories and protests of defeats resulting in violence are often instigated by fans whose identity and purpose in life is almost entirely ...