Arizona sports fan plans to attend 150 games in 365 days and is helping people along the way
You might not find a bigger sports fan than Mr. AZ Sports Guy, Nathan Kropp.
PHOENIX - Spend a few minutes with Nathan Kropp and it becomes pretty obvious he’s the biggest Arizona sports fan around.
Meet his Wheaten Terrier Poodle puppy and you’ll definitely be convinced.
"His name is Book, named after Devin Booker," Kropp says.
Suns, Cardinals, Diamondbacks, and Coyotes memorabilia is plastered across his wall, tattooed on his body and deep-rooted in his life since 1998.
"All my memories of being a kid are that," he said. "We went to every single Diamondbacks home game. We didn't miss a single game. We went to all 81 games the first two years."
But this year, the full-time insurance adjuster was pitched on a new idea.
"I have a number, 150 Arizona sporting events in 365 days is the number I want to hit or go over," he said.
Is Kropp's plan feasible?
That's all the home games for the Diamondbacks, Cardinals, and Suns; along with some Arizona State, Arizona, and Mercury games, too.
As for the days when there's more than one team playing, Kropp has a back-up plan.
"We don't have the Suns schedule yet so we don't know if there is going to be some overlap but there's three overlapping games with the Cardinals right now with the pre-season. So I am going out to LA on July 4th and San Diego to make those up," he said.
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Mr. AZ Sports Guy's rise on social media
Known as Mr. AZ Sports Guy on social media, with a following already for his hilarious photos, he gained extra notoriety during the D-backs run to the World Series.
"That was just a fun season," he said. "I was like, I need to make this a little more fun. So I brought a rotisserie chicken to the game."
Kropp would bring in meals like shrimp and pizza onto his portable mini table.
Some restaurants like Burrito Express thought it was so funny, they sent food his way.
For a good cause
But it's not just to make people laugh, it's also to make people feel loved and seen.
Kropp hands out his extra meals to homeless Phoenicians before the game and, as he will tell you, there's so much more to sports than just the games.
It's the memories, the moments and the reminder of knowing we are part of something bigger than ourselves.