Shrink: Influencer Culture Has Successfully Managed To Completely Obliterate The Fan Experience At The US Open
This is a classic case of "be careful what you wish for".
The Super Bowl is the pinnacle of American sports entertainment. A sporting event that has become more of a cultural event. It has become a status symbol to be at the Super Bowl, and every other sport has some level of desire to replicate that. Every sport has a desire to be watched and appreciated by the masses. Those who play the sport, or are just fans of the sport, are seeking that validation.
This is exactly what the US Open wanted. To become a cultural event. Who gives a shit if you've never watched a single tennis match before in your life. You get your ass into Arthur Ashe Stadium, you pay your $23 for a Honey Deuce, you throw a photo of the drink up on your Instagram story, and now you have status.
And now that's what the US Open has become. It's a backdrop for an Instagram post. Is that a good thing, or is that a bad thing? Honestly who knows. Maybe it's a little bit of both. You're definitely reaching a larger audience for sure. But at the same time, it looks like a brutal time for people who are actually fans of tennis and contribute to the atmosphere of the tournament. Could be good in the long run, could be bad in the long run. But all we know for certain right now is this fella was in absolute hell dealing with these dipshits behind him all night.
You give this man the choice between sitting near this group again or taking a Carlos Alcaraz serve straight to the nuts, he's telling Carlitos to let it rip. And I can't blame him. I can only imagine how many takes this took, and how many different videos were recorded the whole night. It was probably a constant onslaught of insufferable, rage inducing content. Influencers are truly some of the worst people in society who have absolutely no regard for anybody else besides themselves, is this man's face says it all. Maybe he'll just go to the Major League Pickleball Finals in Central Park next summer instead.