Can one really generalize about the fans of any single tennis player?

[Russeljones]

I have now come across several attempts at stereotyping fans whose lives are judged (guessed at) in accordance to the tennis player they have chosen to support.

Are Federer fans unsuccessful in life, needing his success to be lifted above the mediocrity of their own reality?

Or is this just bogus bad loser rationalisation?


Personally I think every fan looks to the sport and particular athlete for inspiration and positive emotions.

Fan:

Paul Dickson, in his Dickson Baseball Dictionary, cites William Henry Nugent's work that claims it comes from fancy, a 19th century term from England that referred mainly to followers of boxing. According to that unsupported explanation, it was originally shortened to fance then just to the homonym fans. However, Merriam-Webster, the Oxford dictionary and other recognized sources define it as a shortened version of the word fanatic, and the word did first become popular in reference to an enthusiastic follower of a baseball team. (Fanatic itself, introduced into English around 1550, means "marked by excessive enthusiasm and often intense uncritical devotion". It comes from the Modern Latin fanaticus, meaning "insanely but divinely inspired". The word originally pertained to a temple or sacred place [Latin fanum, poetic English fane]. The modern sense of "extremely zealous" dates from around 1647; the use of fanatic as a noun dates from 1650.) However, the term "fancy" for an intense liking of something, while being of a different etymology, coincidentally carries a less intense but somewhat similar connotation to "fanatic". The word emerged as an Americanism around 1889.

Supporter is a synonym to "fan" which predates the latter term and as such is still commonly used in British English, especially to denote fans of sports teams. However, the term "fan" has become popular throughout the English-speaking world, including the United Kingdom. The term supporter is also used in a political sense in the United States, to a fan of a politician, a political party, and a controversial issue.

Discuss.

[Colin]

No, you can't ... and only a Nadal fan would say so.

But, truthfully, with the top men I think you can find a spectrum of fans, good and bad. Even though I'm clearly flying in the clouds with the Golden Eagle (and it's not just the economy-size bottle of wine I consumed while I watched DVR'd Olympics matches), there are some fans of Roger on this forum that are clearly more annoying than some Rafa fans (though they're an exception to the rule, thankfully!). No, we don't necessarily need another thread on how Roger holds the record for most consecutive matches won while wearing a red polo, though I personally would become giddy over that statistic.

For example ... guys like MichaelNadal who can applaud a good performance from his favorite's rival or Mustard, who can provide some cool objective stats on an array of players, past or present. From the merits of their posts, I can respect their affiliation, even if I don't root for their tennis hero. But then they're sometimes overshadowed by someone who will create 20 alternate accounts so he can spam the board with obsessive posts about how Nadal will win the next 52 French Opens without dropping a set. (I'm not naming any names, but that's mainly because I'm not positive of the moniker of the latest alias).

[MichaelNadal]

Originally Posted by Colin

No, you can't ... and only a Nadal fan would say so.

But, truthfully, with the top men I think you can find a spectrum of fans, good and bad. Even though I'm clearly flying in the clouds with the Golden Eagle (and it's not just the economy-size bottle of wine I consumed while I watched DVR'd Olympics matches), there are some fans of Roger on this forum that are clearly more annoying than some Rafa fans (though they're an exception to the rule, thankfully!). No, we don't necessarily need another thread on how Roger holds the record for most consecutive matches won while wearing a red polo, though I personally would become giddy over that statistic.

For example ... guys like MichaelNadal who can applaud a good performance from his favorite's rival or Mustard, who can provide some cool objective stats on an array of players, past or present. From the merits of their posts, I can respect their affiliation, even if I don't root for their tennis hero. But then they're sometimes overshadowed by someone who will create 20 alternate accounts so he can spam the board with obsessive posts about how Nadal will win the next 52 French Opens without dropping a set. (I'm not naming any names, but that's mainly because I'm not positive of the moniker of the latest alias).

Agree with your post and thanks for the shout out

[Lsmkenpo]

Originally Posted by Colin

No, you can't ... and only a Nadal fan would say so.

But, truthfully, with the top men I think you can find a spectrum of fans, good and bad. Even though I'm clearly flying in the clouds with the Golden Eagle (and it's not just the economy-size bottle of wine I consumed while I watched DVR'd Olympics matches), there are some fans of Roger on this forum that are clearly more annoying than some Rafa fans (though they're an exception to the rule, thankfully!). No, we don't necessarily need another thread on how Roger holds the record for most consecutive matches won while wearing a red polo, though I personally would become giddy over that statistic.

For example ... guys like MichaelNadal who can applaud a good performance from his favorite's rival or Mustard, who can provide some cool objective stats on an array of players, past or present. From the merits of their posts, I can respect their affiliation, even if I don't root for their tennis hero. But then they're sometimes overshadowed by someone who will create 20 alternate accounts so he can spam the board with obsessive posts about how Nadal will win the next 52 French Opens without dropping a set. (I'm not naming any names, but that's mainly because I'm not positive of the moniker of the latest alias).

Christ sakes, The majority of the time Mustard googles up stats for the sole purpose of trying to discredit Federer's accomplishments, he has about a thousand posts trying to build up Laver as the GOAT, and admitted he doesn't believe it himself, he only does it because others are supporting Federer as the GOAT. He is on a futile propaganda campaign to build up Nadal and tangentially discredit Federer any way possible. This is the basis of the majority of stats he googles up and pastes here, pathetic. Funny, how posters can't see his true colors, and think he is reasonable. He is somewhat passive, that is the only thing that makes him seem reasonable. If you really take a deeper look, you will see he is one of the most extreme Nadal fans on the board.

[Antonio Puente]

Originally Posted by Lsmkenpo

Christ sakes, The majority of the time Mustard googles up stats for the sole purpose of trying to discredit Federer's accomplishments, he has about a thousand posts trying to build up Laver as the GOAT, and admitted he doesn't believe it himself, he only does it because others are supporting Federer as the GOAT. He is on a futile propaganda campaign to build up Nadal and tangentially discredit Federer any way possible. This is the basis of the majority of stats he googles up and pastes here, pathetic. Funny, how posters can't see his true colors, and think he is reasonable. He is somewhat passive, that is the only thing that makes him seem reasonable. If you really take a deeper look, you will see he is one of the most extreme Nadal fans on the board.

God forbid a Nadal fan should make a case for Nadal.

If anything, this post exposed your fanaticism and zealousness. You apparently cannot stomach a divergent viewpoint.

[namelessone]

Originally Posted by Antonio Puente

God forbid a Nadal fan should make a case for Nadal.

If anything, this post exposed your fanaticism and zealousness. You apparently cannot stomach a divergent viewpoint.

Take your pink headbands/wristbands and get out of the Federer warehouse.

Okay?

[namelessone]

Originally Posted by Lsmkenpo

If you really take a deeper look, you will see that Mustard is one of the most extreme Nadal fans on the board.

Thanks for the laugh.

Mustard is worth 100 banned zillas/aphex's/djokovicfortheloss because he doesn't clutter up the forums with worthless garbage posts and he is capable of having a civilized discussion even when he doesn't share the same viewpoint as the fedophiles.

[Mustard]

Originally Posted by Lsmkenpo

Christ sakes, The majority of the time Mustard googles up stats for the sole purpose of trying to discredit Federer's accomplishments, he has about a thousand posts trying to build up Laver as the GOAT, and admitted he doesn't believe it himself, he only does it because others are supporting Federer as the GOAT. He is on a futile propaganda campaign to build up Nadal and tangentially discredit Federer any way possible. This is the basis of the majority of stats he googles up and pastes here, pathetic. Funny, how posters can't see his true colors, and think he is reasonable. He is somewhat passive, that is the only thing that makes him seem reasonable. If you really take a deeper look, you will see he is one of the most extreme Nadal fans on the board.

I have the stats myself, thank you very much, in my notes.

And I laugh at you saying I'm on a propaganda campaign as if you are somehow neutral and objective. LOL. As for the GOAT argument, a load of different players have a case for being GOAT, and a lot of people these days seem to think that Federer is the only candidate. In reality, I don't really see how any player can definitively win the GOAT argument, because different eras are different (some drastically different from others). There is nothing wrong with putting Laver's case out there, when a lot of Federer fans are putting forward Federer's case.

And yes, I'm a Nadal fan, and can sometimes be biased against Federer. I don't deny it. However, I do respect Federer's achievements and how he has played a big part to push tennis to such heights in this era.

[Lsmkenpo]

Originally Posted by Mustard

I have the stats myself, thank you very much, in my notes.

And I laugh at you saying I'm on a propaganda campaign as if you are somehow neutral and objective. LOL. As for the GOAT argument, a load of different players have a case for being GOAT, and a lot of people these days seem to think that Federer is the only candidate. In reality, I don't really see how any player can definitively win the GOAT argument, because different eras are different (some drastically different from others). There is nothing wrong with putting Laver's case out there, when a lot of Federer fans are putting forward Federer's case.

And yes, I'm a Nadal fan, and can sometimes be biased against Federer. I don't deny it. However, I do respect Federer's achievements and how he has played a big part to push tennis to such heights in this era.

You wasted my time debating with me over Laver being the GOAT, than you turn around and tell me you don't really consider him the GOAT, you are only supporting him as some lame attempt to diminish Federer's accomplishments. I bet you have a thousand posts on this particular subject.
There are quite a few dummies on this board that can't see your agenda is anything but reasonable. Over a thousand posts about Laver being the GOAT
and arguing something you don't really believe, yeah you are very reasonable. LMFAO

[Mustard]

Originally Posted by Lsmkenpo

You wasted my time debating with me over Laver being the GOAT, than you turn around and tell me you don't really consider him the GOAT, you are only supporting him as some lame attempt to diminish Federer's accomplishments.

This is a tennis discussion forum. I was putting forward Laver's case for GOAT. If I point out that Laver has won 200 tournaments, spent 7 years in a row as world number 1, won 2 Grand Slams and won a Professional Grand Slam, it is a convincing enough argument to show that Federer is not the only challenger for GOAT.

Originally Posted by Lsmkenpo

I bet you have a thousand posts on this particular subject.
There are quite a few dummies on this board that can't see your agenda is anything but reasonable. Over a thousand posts about Laver being the GOAT
and arguing something you don't really believe, yeah you are very reasonable. LMFAO

My only "agenda" in this instance is to make people aware of great players from the past, who have a claim to be the greatest of all time.

[YouCantBeSerious]

Originally Posted by Lsmkenpo

You wasted my time debating with me over Laver being the GOAT, than you turn around and tell me you don't really consider him the GOAT, you are only supporting him as some lame attempt to diminish Federer's accomplishments. I bet you have a thousand posts on this particular subject.
There are quite a few dummies on this board that can't see your agenda is anything but reasonable. Over a thousand posts about Laver being the GOAT
and arguing something you don't really believe, yeah you are very reasonable. LMFAO

Didn't you change your avatar to Soderling right after he eliminated Nadal in 09?
And I think you are one of the people who like to accuse Nadal of being on steroids without any proof whatsoever. Agenda, you say? The nerve!

[BigServer1]

Originally Posted by Lsmkenpo

Christ sakes, The majority of the time Mustard googles up stats for the sole purpose of trying to discredit Federer's accomplishments, he has about a thousand posts trying to build up Laver as the GOAT, and admitted he doesn't believe it himself, he only does it because others are supporting Federer as the GOAT. He is on a futile propaganda campaign to build up Nadal and tangentially discredit Federer any way possible. This is the basis of the majority of stats he googles up and pastes here, pathetic. Funny, how posters can't see his true colors, and think he is reasonable. He is somewhat passive, that is the only thing that makes him seem reasonable. If you really take a deeper look, you will see he is one of the most extreme Nadal fans on the board.

Mustard is a Rafa fan (he's technically a **** for Muster, hence his handle), but he's objective and ::GASP:: knowledgeable about tennis history that dates prior to 2010.

Laver needs more people making his GOAT case, imo. There's no denying that Fed is the most accomplished player of all time, but people will argue about the GOAT forever and Laver needs more love than he gets, imo.

I feel like 97% of all fans of players are pretty normal, likely attracted to a player or their game due to allegiance to a nation, a style, a look, a memory etc. Unfortunately for the 97%, the 3% of ridiculous freak shows are drawn to anonymous internet message boards, where anything goes.

It's impossible (and downright wrong, imo) to draw parallels or generalizations of an entire fan base from what is posted on these boards, MTF, or anywhere else. You've got the most passionate of all fans, some bordering on mentally unstable (these people exist in every fan base), and some who post 20 times a day. Normal people aren't like that. Hell, I feel like I'm here all the time and I've averaged 1.94 posts per day in my 6 years here. I can't imagine posting 10+ times a day on average.

[Russeljones]

Originally Posted by Lsmkenpo

Christ sakes, The majority of the time Mustard googles up stats for the sole purpose of trying to discredit Federer's accomplishments, he has about a thousand posts trying to build up Laver as the GOAT, and admitted he doesn't believe it himself, he only does it because others are supporting Federer as the GOAT. He is on a futile propaganda campaign to build up Nadal and tangentially discredit Federer any way possible. This is the basis of the majority of stats he googles up and pastes here, pathetic. Funny, how posters can't see his true colors, and think he is reasonable. He is somewhat passive, that is the only thing that makes him seem reasonable. If you really take a deeper look, you will see he is one of the most extreme Nadal fans on the board.

He is actually always reasonable and comes across as well mannered.

[Tennis_Hands]

Originally Posted by Russeljones

He is actually always reasonable and comes across as well mannered.

Reasonable?

I beg to differ.

More like, he is looking to find credibility, that he hopes he gets from googling up stats. You know, stats in themselves are neutral. Untill someone gives them context. And just how Mustard gives context to the stats!

[YouCantBeSerious]

Originally Posted by Tennis_Hands

Reasonable?

I beg to differ.

More like, he is looking to find credibility, that he hopes he gets from googling up stats. You know, stats in themselves are neutral. Untill someone gives them context. And just how Mustard gives context to the stats!

Your post is so flawed...

1. People who are credible do not find credibility, they simply have it.
2. Stats are neutral. Really? I mean, really?
3. If you have a better interpretation for any set of stats than Mustard, why don't you debate him instead of accusing him of being a tard?

You need to look at yourself, because if you think Mustard is a ****, you have a serious problem being so biased that you cannot see things for what they are.

Not one time I've seen yet Mustard go after somebody with ill intent and accusations. If he can be faulted of anything is perhaps of being way too graceful with some people who don't deserve that courtesy.

[Feather]

Originally Posted by Lsmkenpo

Christ sakes, The majority of the time Mustard googles up stats for the sole purpose of trying to discredit Federer's accomplishments, he has about a thousand posts trying to build up Laver as the GOAT, and admitted he doesn't believe it himself, he only does it because others are supporting Federer as the GOAT. He is on a futile propaganda campaign to build up Nadal and tangentially discredit Federer any way possible. This is the basis of the majority of stats he googles up and pastes here, pathetic. Funny, how posters can't see his true colors, and think he is reasonable. He is somewhat passive, that is the only thing that makes him seem reasonable. If you really take a deeper look, you will see he is one of the most extreme Nadal fans on the board.

I disagree. I have always come across Mustard as a reasonable and well mannered poster. I really admire his way of pulling out stats. I have seen him pulling out stats that was actually favoring Roger also..

Everyone is biased to an extent.

[MariaRafael]

In my native tongue I have an equivalent for "fan" and an equivalent for "supporter" which is much more commonly used than "fan". These two words clearly explain the difference.

Supporter is all about sports. S/he loves tennis, and s/he would enjoy watching nearly every player (except for the least liked on a personal basis).

Fans are running after a player/team, and don't notice anything else. When they come to the tournament, their main goal is to make 1000000000000000000000 pics of the centre of their universe, get his autograph (at least 5 times), mob him every time he leaves the protected area, run around the stadium for hours to find his practice court, etc. They are interested in the other players only as opponents of their idol, or DC team partner.

You wouldn't belive me, but I saw lots of these psychos in the tournaments where they bought fairly expensive tickets, came to the tournament from some other country, wasted money on their airtickets and hotel, and ... they would watch ONE MATCH PER DAY. Played by their idol. Though in a slam you can watch 5-7 matches per day(incomplete, but at least you see a lot of players, and can assess their level which is very amusing in the forst few days of the tournament). And in the masters events five matches are guaranteed in the Centre Court, and you can grab another couple of them peeping in the outside courts.

I am a Rafa Nadal supporter, and I could describe a typical day in the stadium of a typical Rafa fan.

[Russeljones]

Good post. In terms of statistics, isn't it inherently more probable to find more "bad posters" among the largest portion of fans on here? Are there any discrepancies in such a theory? Let's keep it civil (to everyone).

[Zarfot Z]

Both Federer and Nadal fans are fond of generating piles upon piles of irrelevant stats in an attempt to inflate their idol's achievements.

[DRII]

I have found certain corelations between some fan bases and particular personality traits/world views.

Of course its not 100%, but they do exist...