He is at every home game in his orange baseball cap and if Cosumnes River College had its own pep squad, he would be the leader of the pack.
“I am [the Hawks] number one fan here,” said Steve Papadopoulos, a 42-year-old undecided major at CRC.  “I like to support them as much as I can.”
Steve was born with spina bifida, a birth defect that often leads to neurological impairments but nothing slows him down.
He is not just a supporter of the home team, but is also a participator.  He has participated in basketball, tennis, several track and field events, weightlifting and horseback riding.
“It is good exercise and it keeps me active,” Steve said.  “I have always liked sports.”
For Steve, sports is a form of therapy that keeps his body and muscles from deteriorating.
“I played in sports from 1997-1999,” Steve said. “They don’t have the funding for these programs now for the disabled because of budget cuts.”
Steve grew up in the Bay Area, where he begun taking horse riding classes.
“I was one of the first pupils,” Steve said. “Sometimes there were anywhere from 200 to 400 people there a week.”
Steve takes the bus when attending all home games.
“I love all sports,” Steve said. “I have only attended one or two home games that were not on campus.”
When he was 22, he traveled with five other people in his age group to Arizona, where he participated in the regional tournament games.
“I did weightlifting, the 100, 200 and 400 meter wheelchair race,” Steve said. “I even got to throw in the shot put and javelin events.”
The worst thing that he sees in sports right now is the NBA lockout.
“It is sad that all that is considered here is the money,”  Steve said. “I would like to have a NBA basketball season.”
Steve now lives in Sacramento but has not been active in sports for awhile. He is considering returning to the Bay Area and begin participating in sports again.
“I am someone who likes to stay active,” Steve said.