Josh Pahigian pens foreword to new book on sports fan culture

Josh Pahigian, M.F.A., fellow in the UNE Center for Global Humanities and adjunct instructor in the English Department, has written the foreword to author Chip Scarinzi’s new book Diehards: Why Fans Care So Much About Sports.

Released September 1, 2015 by Rowe Publishing, the book seeks to unravel the mystery of why spots fans care so much about the teams they cheer.

In the Foreword, Pahigian discusses his own evolution as a baseball fan, detailing the seminal moments of his childhood that gave birth to his passion for the game, and reflecting on the eventual merger of his passion with his professional exploits as a baseball writer.

Pahigian is the author of such popular baseball books as The Ultimate Baseball Road Trip and 101 Baseball Places to See Before You Strike Out, among several other baseball titles.

Ultimately, Pahigian says, baseball has constantly grounded him, even as his life has presented the usual array of unexpected twists and turns.

Pahigian writes: “Like most people, I have lived a life of constant adjustment to new realities and new responsibilities. But the promise of tomorrow’s game or of Opening Day has always been present, carrying me through the darkest of nights and coldest of winters. My identity as ‘baseball lover’ has remained. Baseball is my anchor amid life’s sea of uncertainty.”