Why Do We Love “Bad” Players?

I posit there are two parts to what makes these players fan-favorites. The first thing that makes a “bad” player beloved is the positive feeling they create for an audience, be it as a generally likable individual or as a spark-plug who is watchable because you don’t know if they’ll crack a joke or beat the tar out of a Gatorade cooler on any given day. The feeling these players inspire in us, the GIFs and videos that hit Twitter as a result, is part of establishing a mythos that has nothing to do with their stat line. Who among us hasn’t seen a GIF of Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Brett Phillips in “airplane mode” after his unexpectedly clutch walk-off in Game Four of the 2020 World Series and smiled?

The second part of the equation, in line with the Phillips moment mentioned above, are their heroics. These players are typically notorious for a handful of moments when their bat or glove came up clutch during a high-leverage situation. They are able to ride the goodwill of those events, often for the duration of their remaining tenure with their club.