Idol culture fans flames(3)

Less Fandom

At the end of 2023, a survey conducted by the China Youth Daily Social Survey Center and Questionnaire Network, involving 1,332 respondents, found that 82.4 percent believe that the intrusion of idol culture into sports has worsened recently.

In response, the General Administration of Sport of China issued a statement on May 15, denouncing the encroachment of such distorted fan support into sports. The Chinese Olympic Committee has similarly called for respect for athletes' personal rights, and urged fans to engage in rational behavior, condemning the spread of idol culture into the sporting realm.

During the Paris Olympics, the International Olympic Committee implemented an AI-driven monitoring system to track thousands of accounts across major social media platforms in over 35 languages, aiming to shield athletes and officials from online abuse.

Youth culture scholar Ding Hui told The Paper that at the core of this behavior is the admiration of strength and success. In sports, an athlete's performance directly influences fan support, creating a dynamic similar to that of entertainment idols.

Ding noted that idol culture has been influential in China for nearly a decade. Fans not only celebrate their idols, but also justify their admiration, striving to enhance their idols' public image.

A significant aspect of this culture is fans actively removing negative comments about their idols on social media and engaging in online disputes with fans of other celebrities to shape their idol's image, according to Ding.

"The effort of fans to uphold their idol's 'public image' contributes to the spread of this culture," Ding said, adding that this focus on athletes, rather than the sports themselves, is characteristic of idol culture.

To address the intrusion of idol culture, Ding suggested that athletes should directly address and reject inappropriate fan behavior.

Athletes are distinct from media celebrities; they let their achievements on the field speak for themselves. For fans, the most meaningful interactions with athletes happen only at the competition venue.