We live in a world where everyone is just trying to belong somewhere. In the pursuit of belonging, people might do something that makes them think they are cool, or following something or someone is cool. And that is what has given birth to the term fake fanboyism.
Fake fanboyism can be about anything. It can be about a sport, let’s say football, a sportsman, or a community which follows something. Biking scene is not spared from these fake fans either. Ask anyone about their favorite MotoGP rider and almost 90% of the people say Valentino Rossi. And when I asked them about number of championships VR46 has won, they were blank. They don’t know how many world titles Rossi has, but they are fans. They don’t know anything about the bike he rides except it being a team Yamaha bike, and the list goes on. Putting ‘The Doctor’ sticker on your bike will not make you a fan. Don’t get me wrong here. I know people who are VR46 fans only because the kind of racer he is. They are the real fans and those people are not that easy to find.
Now there is a new breed rising and growing fast, fake fans of CS Santosh, They can’t tell anything about Dakar rally except the name. They don’t know what happened with CS at the rally this year, but they are fans. Now there is something really serious here. Not to forget fake fans of Rajini Krishnan- One of the fastest Indians on track.
Same goes with the bikes too. People are hardcore fans of Harley Davidson, Indian motorcycles, Royal Enfield, KTM, Aprilia and the list goes on. But most of them don’t really know why. In pursuit of sounding cool and just fit in somewhere people are lying to others and themselves by claiming that they love something. It is just a fad they have fallen victim of. It might take them somewhere but it is certainly not the genuine way. If you are fan that’s really a good thing to be, so long as you know why.
I might sound like I am whining about it, it may be somewhat true. But fake fans disrespect those great bikes and great people. They don’t care about their idols, it’s just a way of them to pose. Refer to Biker Vs Posers if you want to know what I mean. Then again, to each his own, it’s a free country and people are free to support anything or anyone they want. And those people out there who are fans because of only the right reasons, I appreciate them for that.
By: Rituraj Sambherao
Fake fanboyism can be about anything. It can be about a sport, let’s say football, a sportsman, or a community which follows something. Biking scene is not spared from these fake fans either. Ask anyone about their favorite MotoGP rider and almost 90% of the people say Valentino Rossi. And when I asked them about number of championships VR46 has won, they were blank. They don’t know how many world titles Rossi has, but they are fans. They don’t know anything about the bike he rides except it being a team Yamaha bike, and the list goes on. Putting ‘The Doctor’ sticker on your bike will not make you a fan. Don’t get me wrong here. I know people who are VR46 fans only because the kind of racer he is. They are the real fans and those people are not that easy to find.
Now there is a new breed rising and growing fast, fake fans of CS Santosh, They can’t tell anything about Dakar rally except the name. They don’t know what happened with CS at the rally this year, but they are fans. Now there is something really serious here. Not to forget fake fans of Rajini Krishnan- One of the fastest Indians on track.Same goes with the bikes too. People are hardcore fans of Harley Davidson, Indian motorcycles, Royal Enfield, KTM, Aprilia and the list goes on. But most of them don’t really know why. In pursuit of sounding cool and just fit in somewhere people are lying to others and themselves by claiming that they love something. It is just a fad they have fallen victim of. It might take them somewhere but it is certainly not the genuine way. If you are fan that’s really a good thing to be, so long as you know why.
I might sound like I am whining about it, it may be somewhat true. But fake fans disrespect those great bikes and great people. They don’t care about their idols, it’s just a way of them to pose. Refer to Biker Vs Posers if you want to know what I mean. Then again, to each his own, it’s a free country and people are free to support anything or anyone they want. And those people out there who are fans because of only the right reasons, I appreciate them for that.By: Rituraj Sambherao