It’s easy to feel connected to the players on our favorite team or those that we are “fans” of in our digital and social media age. We can follow along as Karl-Anthony Towns plays Call of Duty with Michael Phelps and Marshawn Lynch or keep up with each update on Andrew Wiggins’ hairstyle. However, there is a disconnect in terms of us, as fans, in recognizing that these players whose lives we sometimes avidly follow and root for are actualized people, with their own struggles and triumphs outside of the Basketball court.
Part of this issue is simply part of being a fan of any sort of celebrity, as the interaction is necessarily a one-way street.