Say it ain't so, Joe!!

I recently read a Facebook post by one of my high school buddies who is an avid member of Red Sox Nation.

"I feel like a part of me has died today! 7 Players from the 2013 World Champion Red Sox, were traded this week, 5 of them today. It doesn't feel right. I think that I will be watching a bunch of Red Sox in the World Series in October, except they will be playing for other teams. — feeling pained."

As social media has opened up more direct communication between fans and players, it seems that more traditional fans are having a harder time dealing with the comodification of their favorite athletes. As youth, they idolized their favorite players with full sized posters on bedroom walls and binders full of trading cards. Now fans can get "close"to their idols through twitter, Facebook and individual blogs like Kurt Schilling's 38pitches.wordpress.com. Para-social interaction is defined as one sided social relationships from fans directed towards celebrities. These relationships tend to create stronger bonds between the fans and the players they cheer for. 

That attachment comes with some challenges however. For a more in depth look at the rules for becoming a "true" fan check here. Players who go from team to team create fans who are either tied to the player and the fan ends up with a closet full of jerseys or the fan is tied to their team which constitutes a rotating cast of characters. Just like the mythological boy who reached out to Shoeless Joe Jackson fans want to feel a connection with their idols. But when the idol's value has reached its peak the fan finds himself torn between his love of the player whom he admires and the logo on his hat. 

Just ask Harvey Langi's fans.