You're talking about playing sports. The article is about watching sports. Or, since it's not just watching but talking about, identifying with, and generally obsessing over, fanboying sports.
The two are, i think, not at all related. Indeed, if we accept the analysis in the article, they are opposites - fandom is about subsuming your identity into a herd defined by its submission to some set of idols, whereas participation is about asserting your identity as an individual or member of a team defined by your (intended) domination over your rivals.
The two are, i think, not at all related. Indeed, if we accept the analysis in the article, they are opposites - fandom is about subsuming your identity into a herd defined by its submission to some set of idols, whereas participation is about asserting your identity as an individual or member of a team defined by your (intended) domination over your rivals.