Sport stars and their fans
The relationship between sports stars and their fans is fascinating. Sports stars realize that their livelihood depends on their fans. If the fans were not willing to shell out their hard earned money for Winter Olympics tickets or World Cup tickets, then the athlete would suddenly become obsolete.
Fans lavish attention and praise and money (by way of the aforementioned Winter Olympics and World Cup tickets as well as logo merchandise) upon their favored athletes. The fan will wait in line just for a chance to shake hands with or get an autograph from their beloved sports stars.
As broad as the love affair between the fan and the sports star is, it lacks depth. If a sports star stumbles, the fans are quick to turn on him. It may be a form of jealousy – the athlete is getting rich while the fans are not. It may simply be that the only thing people like more than a hero is a fallen hero. Whatever the reason, sports fans almost relish in the failings, on or off the field, of their sports stars.
And for the athletes, there seems to be an undercurrent of contempt for the fans, an unspoken feeling that they deserve all the cheers but none of the boos. The higher the athlete’s pay, the greater is the disdain shown for the fans who make that pay possible. As long as there is big money involved, sports stars and their fans will continue to share a relationship that is complex and dynamic, if not entirely healthy.