Derek Jeter, almost the second the fans begin to say his name (before they get the “urr” in DEH-rick JEET-urr) holds out his glove toward the fans. He does this without looking, while staring in at the batter. It feels to me like the perfect Derek Jeter gesture. He’s saluting the fans while never taking his eye off the game. He seems to me to be saying, “I hear you, and I love you, but I’m working right now.”
-Joe Posnanski
We hear this refrain all the time:
“I love the fans.”
“The fans in (insert city here) are the best in (insert league here).”
“I’m happy to share this accomplishment with the fans.”
“The fans are really what helped me today.”
But how does the relationship with players and fans really work? Do players love the actual fans? The idea of fans? The idea of a nameless, faceless mob of people that are cheering for a player at any given time?
The Posnanski quote about Jeter sums up the way athletes most likely view fans: as a undefined mass of people who beneficial when convenient. The Jeter-fan dynamic exemplifies the strange dichotomy of the fan relationship. He has marked his career by coming off as aloof and removed, but always courteous and never meanspirited.
As a result, he’s become one of the most popular players in the game for nearly fifteen years. Fans hang onto every development. They identify with him. They spend hours upon hours obsessing over him, rooting for him, reading about him, wearing t-shirts and jerseys (though in the Yankees case, this isn’t quite the case) that supplant their last names with his last name. The fans legitimately love and adore Capt. Fistpump.
When he finally ends the long, drawn-out march to 3,000 hits, Jeter will likely pick one of the mantras from above and profess his love for, thanks to and appreciation of the fans. But what does this actually mean? Not much. Again, Jeter probably likes the idea of a huge amount of people cheering for him, but he can't actually love the fans the way fans love him.
And this is the dichotomy for all fan relationships. There’s nothing inherently wrong with athletes having no real emotional attachment to the people who buy their replica gear, pay their salaries and scream their names; it’s just the nature of a 1-to-many relationship.
Realizing this disconnect, any enlightened fan or organization can connect with fans in a real-life form of synecdoche (My AP English teacher would be proud). For example, Brandon Phillips of the Cincinnati Reds has taken to Twitter to connect with singular fans and treat them to once-in-a-lifetime opportunities.
Does everyone have to do this? Is there any obligation to do so? No, of course not, But understanding the dynamics of the fan relationship – whether sports, politics, brands, etc – can help us realize how we are affected by the adorees’ actions.
Tags: Brandon Phillips, Derek Jeter, Fans, Joe Posnanski, Sports
