Whether at baseball, football, basketball or soccer games, fans love to bring banners and signs with them.  You see them on television broadcasts all the time, or if you go to the games, you will surely see several being held up around the stadium.  But why?  What is the significance of banners and signs at sporting events?  Here are a few reasons and factors that go into why people like bringing them with them to the stadium.  These reasons are in no particular order – it is not a ranking system.

Reason #1: Attention

Everyone knows there are lots of people out there in the world today starving for attention.  Many of them get it in one way or another (though usually with less honor involved).  Holding up banners and signs at ballgames is just one way this can happen.  It really does not matter what is on the sign as long as others will take notice, and perhaps comment.  Especially if an announcer notices, his comments would be sure to give the individual with the sign a lot of attention from viewers and/or listeners. 

Reason #2: Banners and Signs to Send a Message

The world of sports is often a dramatic one.  So and so changed teams, and therefore, his former fans now hate him.  Someone made a bad coaching decision and cost his city a championship.  A player acted inappropriately off the field and got suspended.  These are all reasons for fans to give their two cents on the whole situation.  These examples were negative ones, so fans would likely hold up banners and signs with a bitter or vengeful tone to them.  But there are positive examples, too.  When a player accomplishes something great, his or her fans love to support and encourage. 

Reason #3: Show off Artwork

Though somewhat rare compared to the others, sometimes fans like to come and show off artwork of players or logos or perhaps the broadcast station.  This category could be combined with the attention one, however it is less about getting people to simply laugh or ridicule the fans with the sign, and more about noticing the impeccable design from websites like Esigns.com and coordination of the banners and signs of the more artsy fans.