How To Survive As A Fandom When Your Show May Not
On Saturday I rewatched the 1992 film version of A League of Their Own for the umpteenth time. As a kid in a small town I was the quintessential definition of a “tomboy” and remember being nine, playing little league baseball, watching for the first time. I was obsessed. It was probably my first experience seeing a version of myself on screen. Those characters were unapologetically themselves. They were talented and competitive, and often covered in dirt and were allowed to be that way.
As a young queer kid, like most, I didn’t even know I wasn’t being fully represented in the media. I was complacent in the assumption that I was just “other” so of course I wouldn’t be found in regular television and film. I didn’t expect to see myself, the same way I never expected there would be a community out there for me. I had my teams and they were everything. But teams can’t last forever. Or can they?
I’ll be honest, I wasn’t entirely sure what I was going to find in this project. I just knew something was there. Something special. There are fans of shows and then there are fandoms for shows. I can imagine when developing a series you can only hope that you will create something that will affect people. There are shows made to entertain and then there are a magical few that knit themselves into the fibers of its fans. Those fans become a community, a family, a team. Though shows can’t last forever, the bonds and community can.
It’s no secret that the erroneous cutting short and canceling of the current Amazon Prime show, A League of Their Own, has given a devastating blow to the ALOTO fandom. The climate throughout social media is a tossed salad of hurt, anger, sadness, and fear. It’s not surprising and it’s also not the first time I’ve bore witness to it and frustratingly I don’t think it will be my last. However, there is one of those emotions that I think is important to address and nip in the bud because it is one thing that could be in your, a fandom’s, control. Fear.
I’ve noticed the expressed fear, specifically in the ALOTO fandom recently, that with the end of the show will also result in the end of the community that has been built around it. I’m here to say that is entirely up to you, the fans. Case in point, the Wynonna Earp fandom of “Earpers” who stood by and fought for the show when it looked like it wasn’t getting a fourth season. Surprise - it got a fourth season. The Earper fandom started to form and gain traction in the first season of the show and now, two years after the last aired episode, they are just as close a community as they ever were. It is up to you to remain invested and informed enough to help the team stay involved and alive.
Being a fandom is more than just following and being invested in a show. There is extensive involvement and engagement with the cast, crew, producers, other fans, you name it. Fortunately, the Wynonna Earp fandom has spawned multiple fan/cast/writer conventions that some may say blur the lines between the makers of art and fans of it. However, in this case, that has proven more a positive outcome than negative. I don’t think I’d be the first to say that the Earper fandom has set a precedent for how fans and creators could and possibly should engage with each other. It’s a pretty amazing development of trust, understanding, and respect that many networks should study as in-depth as possible.
The point here, if not clear, is that if you’re a member of a fandom of a show that has been given an end date, that doesn’t mean your time being seen, heard, trusted, and loved is over. To the contrary. These bonds will only grow stronger if you’re willing to acknowledge and embrace the vulnerability that comes along with accepting who and where you are, as a human.
I don’t care what people say. They could be family, friends, cast, crew, strangers, it doesn’t matter. I don’t know why we as a people search for understanding and meaning from those we ultimately know we will never find it from. I don’t know why we are so afraid to be honest with each other. With ourselves. Hell, even with strangers. I may never know. But what I do know is that if I want and need someone in my life, then they will remain there. End of story. So. If you are a member of a fandom, if you are a member of the ALOTO fandom right now, I ask you to take a moment. Take a breath and then seek out your people. This is a shared experience and you deserve to reach out to your people.
Keep fighting your fight. I would never tell you not to. But also take a moment to look around and see who is there fighting beside you. Do not develop a hierarchy - you’ll only be asking for a division and no fandom needs or can survive that. Respect each other. Your lives are different but you’re fighting the same demons here. You’re the same. Grow stronger because of your similarities not apart because of your differences.
This will remain an ongoing conversation. Where are the lines between us and them and us. In the meantime, just be kind. Be a team. Love and be loved and be fans. Lift each other up. Just… lift each other up.
