- Everen Brown, an Olympic superfan, has attended 18 Games and 500 events.
- Brown plans meticulously to affordably attend events, including 29 in Milan.
- He loves ice hockey and believes Olympics are for both athletes and fans.
MILAN, Italy — Everen Brown is an Olympic superfan, attending almost 20 Olympic Games. After seeing all the preparation and training he does to pull it off, you may think he deserves a medal of his own.
"For many years, I've billed myself as Utah's No.1 Olympic fan," he said.
He's got the swag and the stats to prove it. Brown has attended a total of 18 Olympic Games, 500 events and will attend 29 events just in Milan.
"I like the Olympic spirit of trying to bring the world together and have a party," Brown said.
He was there when swimmer Michael Phelps made history, and again, for gymnast Simone Biles.
After all these years, does he have a favorite Olympics?
"Well, favorite Olympics, that's like trying to say who's your favorite child," Brown said.
What about his favorite event?
"My favorite event is ice hockey. Primarily men's U.S.A. is the team that I follow," he said. "I played hockey as a kid, and I love hockey, and I know how to win at hockey. All I got to do is coach Team U.S.A. (at) one of these Olympics."
Brown said the key to doing all this affordably is to plan in advance before prices go up to Olympic gold.
"Milano has tickets that start at €30. That's cheaper, to get a preliminary hockey ticket at €30, than it is to go to a Utah Mammoth game," he said.
Like every athlete, he has his training regimen. He gets all the shopping and sightseeing out of the way before the Opening Ceremony.
"Then once the games start, I just focus on the competitions," Brown said.
He said he used to think the Olympics were just for the athletes.
"But it's also for the fans," he said.
For all his effort, KSL surprised Brown with a medal ceremony of his own. Granted, our medal was crafted out of a luggage tag and a lanyard purchased from the Olympics gift shop.
"Oh wow, I'm happy to accept this honor on behalf of the academy and KSL and the Olympic movement," Brown said.
