I will preface this by saying that there are many good, well-meaning guys (and gals) in the fighting game community but there is one overbearing attitude that I wish would change… when we look at fighting game fans online they seem to be the worst fans of anything based on the way they treat their pros.
If you are unfamiliar with this scene I will say that if you are a pro with massive accolades the kids who look up to you, copy your play-style and want to be like you will quickly jump to hating you as soon as you lose in any competition. Street Fighter fanbois as a whole seem to be void of a sense of reality when it comes to champions, the difficulty of staying relevant and more.
Think about the NFL fans who keep their hero’s jersey even dee into his career when his numbers aren’t the best. Daigo Umehara and Justin Wong will not get that privilege; what they will get is a much different form of treatment. Just ask Alex Valle.
I hear many fanbois get upset at pros who take on other life challenges. They forget the accomplishment of great players in order to label them has-beens in the most disrespectful way and act as if people’s entire life must be Street Fighter. It seems so sad, simple and juvenile (big surprise right).
There was a time when the fighting game community was respected for it’s tight-knit grouping, exclusivity, and backing of it’s professionals. Now as the scene gets more and more mainstream it seems to be a harbor for guys who feel that their elitist attitude is the end-all to arguments concerning big leaguers.
It feels good seeing some of these “has beens” still doing their thing so deep in the years at this EVO 2012; new players competing – the majority appearing to be nothing like the douchebag fanbase and very impressive match-ups continue to breathe life into the sport. It makes me wonder is their a way to fix their terrible online fans?
Let’s get better guys. Aside from the Olympics the stage at EVO is one of the only places where a nice cross-country competition is anticipated by us and I see it getting so big that the reputation needs some house-cleaning.
