I think you’re questions actually raise more questions than answers.
Nobody wears shirts that say “Sportsball!” or “Videogames!” or “Rock band!” They choose SPECIFIC games or sports or whatever they like.
People who like Minecraft probably have sunk hours into it, and maybe it’s a fun joke to have Tssss written on a shirt for other Minecrafters to appreciate.
People who like Queen might appreciate the guitar playing, they might appreciate the theatricality, they might identify with Freddie Mercury’s personality, or the lyrics might speak to them.
People who like a particular car might appreciate the history of the car, or the look of it, or be responding to the marketing of the car (hello Subaru lesbians).
The problem I have with Messi t-shirts, and all that shit, is I don’t know why people want to identify with Messi other than “He is the BEST.” To like and identify something merely for being objectively the BEST at something is some spiritually impoverished shit we should grow out of by the time we’re 15.
That it is a stupid human impulse in absolutely undeniable, because we push people into being “role models” even though they are absolutely unsuited for it simply because people will look up to them because they can do things with a ball real good.
The problem I have with Messi t-shirts, and all that shit, is I don’t know why people want to identify with Messi other than “He is the BEST.”
You wrote a long message explaining the why, yet you aren’t able to connect the final dots.
People wearing Queen t-shirts may also think that they are the “best”. People playing Minecraft may think too that it is the “best”. They enjoy listening to Queen, playing Minecraft, and watching Messi, and precisely because of that, they may think these are all the “best”.
Maybe the issue here is that you either don’t enjoy football, or don’t like Messi as a player?
But no, not actually, because there are many more reasons to like music bands and video games than some weird faux objective measure of “the best” whereas the bulk of athletes popularity is based on their ability to play something better than others in a competitive environment.
I feel like athlete fans are just advertising their own insecurity with their merch.
I get it if you play the sport, though, or if you’re a kid with a juvenille grasping for glory.
Maybe you just don’t get it? Or maybe you’re trying to look for differences where there really aren’t any, in order to belittle pastimes you don’t personally like.
Because, unless you’re terminally online, you must be familiar with the fact that millions of people just enjoy watching football, and follow teams and players, sometimes regardless of their performance on the pitch. It’s a social and cultural phenomenon.
But anyway, just so you know, shitting on football fans stopped being edgy circa 2010, around the same time fedoras went out of fashion.
Nothing wrong with enjoying sportsball, but there is something deeply and personally disturbing to me about people who identify strongly with it. Seems like something that should be called out regularly instead of condoned and encouraged, but I guess it makes a lot of people a lot of money, so there my moral scolding is drowned out in advertising.
I think you’re questions actually raise more questions than answers.
Nobody wears shirts that say “Sportsball!” or “Videogames!” or “Rock band!” They choose SPECIFIC games or sports or whatever they like.
People who like Minecraft probably have sunk hours into it, and maybe it’s a fun joke to have Tssss written on a shirt for other Minecrafters to appreciate.
People who like Queen might appreciate the guitar playing, they might appreciate the theatricality, they might identify with Freddie Mercury’s personality, or the lyrics might speak to them.
People who like a particular car might appreciate the history of the car, or the look of it, or be responding to the marketing of the car (hello Subaru lesbians).
The problem I have with Messi t-shirts, and all that shit, is I don’t know why people want to identify with Messi other than “He is the BEST.” To like and identify something merely for being objectively the BEST at something is some spiritually impoverished shit we should grow out of by the time we’re 15.
That it is a stupid human impulse in absolutely undeniable, because we push people into being “role models” even though they are absolutely unsuited for it simply because people will look up to them because they can do things with a ball real good.
@Redfox8@mander.xyz thoughts?
You wrote a long message explaining the why, yet you aren’t able to connect the final dots.
People wearing Queen t-shirts may also think that they are the “best”. People playing Minecraft may think too that it is the “best”. They enjoy listening to Queen, playing Minecraft, and watching Messi, and precisely because of that, they may think these are all the “best”.
Maybe the issue here is that you either don’t enjoy football, or don’t like Messi as a player?
But no, not actually, because there are many more reasons to like music bands and video games than some weird faux objective measure of “the best” whereas the bulk of athletes popularity is based on their ability to play something better than others in a competitive environment.
I feel like athlete fans are just advertising their own insecurity with their merch.
I get it if you play the sport, though, or if you’re a kid with a juvenille grasping for glory.
Maybe you just don’t get it? Or maybe you’re trying to look for differences where there really aren’t any, in order to belittle pastimes you don’t personally like.
Because, unless you’re terminally online, you must be familiar with the fact that millions of people just enjoy watching football, and follow teams and players, sometimes regardless of their performance on the pitch. It’s a social and cultural phenomenon.
But anyway, just so you know, shitting on football fans stopped being edgy circa 2010, around the same time fedoras went out of fashion.
Nothing wrong with enjoying sportsball, but there is something deeply and personally disturbing to me about people who identify strongly with it. Seems like something that should be called out regularly instead of condoned and encouraged, but I guess it makes a lot of people a lot of money, so there my moral scolding is drowned out in advertising.
As opposed to those who call themselves gamers or trekkies?
Sure.
Can Messi even sing Queen or play Minecraft?