The Truth About Fandom

  If someone were to ask you what it means to be a fan, how would you answer? Many people act as if they are superior to one another, simply because they are a “bigger” fan. But tell me this; if you were better than others, surely you would be the ones with the fans?  Being a fan is not about how exclusive you are or how many people know your name. Being a fan is about how much you love and admire the person whom you are a fan of.

  I never really understood what it was like to be a fan of anyone until I watched the South African swimmer, Chad Le Clos, win gold against his hero, Michael Phelps. From that moment on, I have been a proud Chad Le Clos fan. I never realised how easy it is to get caught up by all the excitement over one person. And I did get swept up by all the cheering, stalking and vying for attention. And it’s fun and exciting, until someone gets hurt.

  I guarantee that if the people who we are fanning over knew what was going on, not only would they be unimpressed, but I think that they would be deeply hurt. The last thing any of them want is to be the reason why people are nasty. Now if we were all true fans, the thought of the person that you admire being upset should upset us as well. So why would we want to be the cause of them being down?

  If someone were to ask me what my definition of being a fan is, I would say this: A fan is someone who admires someone else. The fan does not necessarily have to be the best or be part of a club that proves their fandom. A fan can be just a simple person who admires the work of someone else.

  So I say, rather than being fans against each other, we should rather work on being fans with one another. Make our heroes proud, not disappointed. Make them stronger by sharing our love and strength with them. By being there for them, you are proving your support and nothing could make them happier.