EPTLet me start off by clearly defining where I agree and disagree with hotbid
I agree that new fans should not be harassed by old fans. Being an old fan doesn't give you any special rights or privileges to bash newcomers. However feel free to bash any bandwagon jumpers.
I disagree that starcraft is more entertaining today or that starcraft "sucked back then". On the entertainment level its simply different which comes down to viewer preference. On that level, oranges aren't "better" than ice cream. As far as player skill I will address that in this article.
The two main points I want to address are
1) "bandwagon jumping" is okay.
2) Boxer sucks… (that I cannot abide)
Allow me to sum up Hot_Bids arguments paragraph by paragraph
1) New is better
2) Everyone is a bandwagon fan since the baseline motive for becoming a fan is being enamored by skill. Only successful players have skill QED.
3) We shouldn't flame fanboys. Its not worthwhile rooting for a player that sucks.
The major issue I have with this article is the complete lack of understanding when it comes to the term bandwagon and corollary that the only reason to respect or follow a player/team is if they are winning.
I am not surprised at all that both Hotbid and many of the comment posters that followed have no conception of bandwagon jumping.
Let us consult a source of great wisdom... Urban Dictionary
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=bandwagon
And I quote
1. bandwagon
When someone adopts a popular point of view for the primary purpose of recognition and/or acceptance by others.
When someone adopts a popular point of view for the primary purpose of recognition and/or acceptance by others.
2. To follow the group as it has the majority or a vast number of followers
3. What people will "ride" or get on when they want to be accepted, espescially in the NFL. People will get on the (Colts) bandwagon and suddenly become their fans because they are doing really good or because they have a large number of fans so they can be accepted.
For a real life example of this....
My roommate during my sophomore year of college rooted for the Lakers because Kobe Bryant (the lakers star player) looked EXACTLY like his favorite rapper Tupac Shakur (which sounds like a lot like a protoss name)
For comparison:
![[image loading]](http://www.youngtexaslawyer.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/071103-kobe-bryant.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://patterico.com/files/2008/11/tupac.jpg)
For Aiur
Uncanny resemblance....
What is wrong with Bandwagon Jumping?
The root question beneath this is: what is being a fan really about? How do fans and the players interact?
Fans live vicariously through the players. A fan emotionally connects with the team/players successes and failures.
That being said its important to examine the nature of the vicarious experience. I would hope that the entire point of following a particular player/team is to learn from their triumphs and struggles.
When you bandwagon jump you are only engaging in a fraction of the total experience and therefore completely missing out on important life lessons. Its like eating nothing but super sugary desserts.
Bandwagon jumping gives you the view that the strong were always strong, the skilled always skilled, the best always the best. In reality it takes HARD work to become good at anything. Winning doesn't happen in a vacuum. Additionally no one stays on the top forever.
True fans emotionally invest in the total experience. That includes the devastating losses and the lack luster wins.
While you get a quick cheap rush from victory with bandwagon jumping, dedicated fandom makes those same victorious all the more worthwhile and meaningful. Long term dedication gives us a small reflection of the long emotional perseverance of the victorious player themselves. .
Translating that into life lessons:
Isn't that the essence of starcraft itself; your first breach into C- as a direct result of continuous effort and emotional perseverance? In my opinion this is the essence of all competition and self improvement.
So in response to the article
1) New is better
This is a quote from later in the article.
That's not disrespecting him. Because sucking now doesn't change his win back then, and winning then doesn't
affect us recognizing he sucks today
affect us recognizing he sucks today
Sorry to break it to you, but that is disrespecting boxer. You are putting all of his accomplishments in a single isolated time frame and determining your fandom based on that time frame. It’s a very shallow and empty dedication, particularly to someone who brought so much to the game.
Like I said earlier, no one stays on top forever. But people who put in the time and dedication, who fought for the right to be on the champions podium EARNED the respect to not be questioned like this. Boxer may not be playing his absolute best right now, but that does not mean he will always be playing poorly and that definitely doesn’t mean that its ok to suddenly stop supporting him, particularly if you are EVER going to call yourself a boxer fan in the present past or future.
I know its cliche but winning isn't everything. A player is more than his W-L ratio.
Continuing along the same lines of thought To quote Violetak,
If you are a fan of starcraft you are a fan of Boxer
Starcraft is what it is today directly due to the efforts of the great players of yester years. The game is different and exciting today BECAUSE OF THEM. Even recently Boxer and Oov spiced up the game by implementing Valkyries
Show some damn respect to the hardwork boxer, yellow and the other greats put in. Not saying you have to be super excited about their current level of play, but they have given us so much we owe it to them to give some support back.
![[image loading]](http://www.rankopedia.com/CandidatePix/43038.gif)
This means you
Even if they aren't face stomping noobs right this second, they earned the respect and admiration of every starcraft fan through their pure guts and dedication.
2) Everyone is a bandwagon fan
BS. Plenty of people gave kwanro support even when he was playing terribly. I guarantee that even though he didn't take an MSL championship people will still be sticking with him the next season.
There are a ton of Savior fans supporting him right now even though he totally sucks at the moment.
This is true fan support in my opinion. Giving players encouragement particularly when they are down and when its the most difficult.
Next time you are at a low point in your life, you will find that you truly appreciate those that stick by you and encourage you through it. The people that are there on your good days and gone on your bad days mean exactly piss.
Addressing the opposite side of the argument, people become fans for more reasons than just “victories”. The classic example is FireBatHero for his goofy attitude. Focusing on pure play another good example is UpMagic. Upmagic loses CONSTANTLY. He always has. But he is still a great player to watch even if he doesn’t pull out a win in his latest 2 hr tvt game of epic maneuvering.
3) a) We shouldn't flame fanboys. b)Its not worthwhile rooting for a player that sucks.
Go ahead and flame fanboys. Fan opposition is one of the corner stones of sports at large. As long as it is lighthearted and in good fun it enhances the experience as a whole. True fans understand that getting jeered is part of the ebb and flow of the game itself.
Sometimes you get to rub it in, sometimes you are on the other end of the mockery. b) This is another problem with Bandwagon jumpers: they never stick around to receive what they give. If the going gets tough they just pick a new team or a new player to follow. It shows weak character. I would rather have 1 person that will stick it out with me through thick and thin than 1000 people who will abandon me at the first sign of trouble.
All that being said
How to not bandwagon jump
1) Follow a player/team because you like their personality, and/or play style, not just because they are winning.
Its ok to root for someone because they are exciting to watch. Even if they lose there is some visceral satisfaction that can be gleaned from the game. If wins are rare they are all the more exciting. Hunger is the best spice.
2) Stick with your player.
Yea maybe Nada Savior and Boxer may never take another championship. So what? Stick with them and relish the games they win. If they do rise back to prominence their victories are all the more satisfying.
Stork, Bisu and Xellos fans, you know what I am talking about.
3) Once you are a fan of a player/team, then gather with other people that share your viewpoint. Don't gather with a majority of people and then adopt their viewpoint.
This is the difference between sheep and individuals.
In conclusion, I hope that everyone takes notes from this and then applies those lessons directly to their local foreigners. I know that support means a lot more to guys like Whitera Brat_OK and Louder (maybe even CSL players) right now since they barely get recognized (let alone paid) for the TON of hardwork they put in.
I would also like to highlight sparkyzcast to all the OGN fans: http://www.youtube.com/sparkyzcast
