2024 is destined to be an extraordinary year for national table tennis.
This much-anticipated sports feast was supposed to be a stage for national table tennis athletes to sweat and win glory for the country, but it unexpectedly evolved into the center of a storm of public opinion.
And the fuse that ignited this storm was the star-chasing behavior of fans who "killed crazy".
It all started with the thrilling Women's Singles final. On the one hand, the new generation of "Little Devil" Sun Yingsha, who holds the mixed doubles championship and is eager to create glory in the women's singles field; On the other side is the calm and sophisticated "big dream" Chen Meng, who has been ranked first in the world for many years, and is eager to realize his dream of the Olympics in the year of his establishment.
This strong showdown has been full of highlights from the beginning, and it has also touched the hearts of countless fans.
In the end, Chen Meng defeated Sun Yingsha 4:2 with her strong psychological quality and stable performance, and won the trophy symbolizing the highest honor of women's singles as she wished.
This victory, for Chen Meng, is the best reward for years of hard training, and it is also the best proof of his strength. However, before she could enjoy the joy of victory, a sudden Internet storm swept in.
The fuse was Chen Meng's cousin, a congratulatory message posted by the famous actor Huang Xiaoming in the circle of friends.
"Chen Meng won the championship, congratulations to my cousin", a simple sentence, but it was like throwing a stone on the calm lake, stirring up a thousand waves.
Some of Sun Yingsha's fans couldn't accept the fact that their idols lost, and vented their dissatisfaction on Chen Meng and Huang Xiaoming, and the comment area was full of questions, abuse, and even personal attacks.
If the fans' radical remarks can still be understood as impulsive, then the public "fire" of the CEO of a media company has pushed this storm of public opinion to a climax.
The CEO posted a fierce dynamic in his circle of friends, pointing out that the national table tennis coaching staff "sacrificed Sasha for the retirement of some people", which means that Chen Meng's championship is "shady" and "internal".
Although the CEO did not name names, fans familiar with national table tennis understand that she refers to "certain people" who are retiring from the coaching staff.
As soon as this circle of friends was released, it immediately caused an uproar, and many netizens who did not know the truth followed suit, questioning the fairness of the results of the game and asking the national table tennis to give an explanation.
This storm of public opinion caused by fans has exposed a problem that cannot be ignored:
Fanquan culture is invading the sports world. More and more fans have brought the fanaticism and irrationality of star-chasing into the field of sports competition, using the logic of star-chasing to judge sports competitions, and using the rules of the fan circle to demand athletes.
In their eyes, sports competitions are no longer a contest of strength between athletes, but a contest of popularity between idols. Whoever has more fans and louder voice should win, otherwise it will be "shady" and "unfair".
This practice of bringing fan-circle thinking into the sports circle is not only a blasphemy against sportsmanship, but also a harm to athletes.
Just imagine, those athletes who do their best on the field and win glory for the country have to face groundless accusations and online violence from fans, how ironic and sad it is!
The charm of sports competition lies in its uncertainty and fighting spirit. Winning or losing is a common thing, and no one can stand on the podium forever.
As table tennis Olympic champion Deng Yaping said: "You can like what you like, we just need to talk about who we like, not who we attack, it doesn't matter, it's all the Chinese team."
Fans can cheer for their idols, but they should respect the dedication of every athlete and the result of the competition.
However, the invasion of fan circle culture has turned the sports arena into a smoky star-chasing scene.
In addition to the World Table Tennis Championships incident, in recent years, in basketball, football and other fields, there have also been frequent fan excesses, from online violence to personal attacks.
After the game, some Liaoning fans were dissatisfied with the penalty, personally attacked the referee, and even pointed the finger at the Guangdong team players, spreading rumors and conducting human flesh searches on the Internet.
In the Qatar World Cup qualifiers, the national football team lost to Viet Nam, and some fans lost control of their emotions, venting their anger on the players and coaches, and even shouted the excessive remarks of "disbanding the national football team".
The list goes on and on. These acts of "harm" in the name of "love" will not only not help the development of sports, but will turn the sports arena into a gladiatorial arena full of anger, and the spirit of sportsmanship will disappear......
Sports, as it should be, are pure.
The athletes sweated on the field, showing the perfect combination of strength and skill; They fight for honor, fight for their dreams, and their fighting spirit inspires countless people.
Fans are the strongest backing for athletes, and their cheering is the driving force for athletes to move forward.
When the fan circle culture invades the sports circle, when irrational emotions drown out the sportsmanship, we lose the purest pleasure of appreciating sports competitions, and also hurt those athletes who win glory for the country.
Reinventing the spirit of sport requires each and every one of us to work together.
Fans, please put down the keyboard, stop the abuse, and turn your love for your idols into support for Chinese sports. Remember, your idols are on top of the world because of hard training day in and day out, not by fans.
Please believe that your idols also want to see a passionate, fair and just sports arena, not a smoky star-chasing scene.
The media, please shoulder their due social responsibility, guide public opinion, spread positive energy, and create a good public opinion environment for Chinese sports. Please don't deliberately create topics for the sake of traffic, don't take quotes out of context for the sake of attracting attention, and don't fan the flames in order to cater to the extreme emotions of some fans.
Please use your pen and lens to record the moments of athletes' struggle, to tell the story of China's sports, and to promote the true meaning of sportsmanship.
Sports management departments, please further improve the relevant systems, strengthen the regulation and guidance of fan behavior, severely crack down on online violence, personal attacks and other illegal acts, maintain the fairness and justice of sports competitions, protect the legitimate rights and interests of athletes, and escort the development of sports in China.
Regaining purity and fighting for love is what Chinese sports should look like.
In the era of information explosion, how to rationally chase stars and how to maintain the purity of sportsmanship are problems that each of us should think about.
Let us work together to create a healthier, more positive and upward development environment for Chinese sports, so that Chinese sports can continue to shine on the world stage!