Deviate Super Bowl special: Why football kind of matters, with Chuck Klosterman (kind of)
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Feb 5, 2026 Michael Weinreb, sports writer and author of books on sports history, revisits Chuck Klosterman’s football obsession and their college-roommate stories. They talk video-game habits, emotional versus analytical fandom, the ritual of attending games, streaming’s impact, and why football feels tied to season, weather, and communal ritual.
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Roommates Revealed Their Football Styles
- Michael Weinreb and Chuck Klosterman played EA College Football as roommates and their contrasting play styles revealed their fandom differences.
- Chuck played conservatively like 1970s football while Michael used modern, riskier digital strategies, and Michael usually won.
Two Distinct Types Of Fandom
- Emotional fandom ties to specific teams and personal history while narrative fandom follows compelling stories regardless of team.
- Klosterman prefers narrative fandom and hops between stories, while Weinreb roots emotionally for Penn State.
Super Bowl Reactions Shock Non‑Fans
- Rolf describes how Chiefs Super Bowl losses produced intense, baffling emotional reactions in front of non‑fans.
- His wife and friends were unnerved by emotions that stemmed from football's deeper meaning, not mere team loyalty.
