Dwightmare

Like fellow basketball superstar Lebron James, all-star center Dwight Howard has been the target of immense scrutiny from fans on the internet. After spending the past 8 seasons playing with the Orlando Magic, Howard grew increasingly frustrated with his team’s lack of success play-off success in recent years.

At the beginning of the 2011-12 season, Howard demanded a trade to title contending teams such as the Los Angeles Lakers or the Dallas Mavericks. He stated that he felt the Magic administration was not sufficiently committed to building a championship caliber squad. Howard publicly voiced his frustrations with management and demanded for a trade throughout the majority of the season before finally signing a contract to remain in Orlando until the end of the 2012-13 season.

By the season's end, the Orlando Magic fired had its head coach and general manager, and it was widely perceived Howard were at odds with both men. However, Howard again demanded a trade, by stating he would not re-sign with the team once his contract expires next season, meaning the Magic could potentially lose his services without gaining any talent in return, like they would in a trade. Howard was eventually traded to the Los Angeles Lakers in August 2012.

Fans online refereed to the season long saga as "Dwightmare", citing the ongoing drama that surrounded all those involved. And many fans expressed how they felt about Howard through memes. As stated in previous blog posts, analysing memes can determine how people respond to situations and also to each other. And in many instances, the feelings that are portrayed through memes can provide interesting and profound insight into how fans use digital media to connect with celebrated stars and the degree of passion they have for sports. Like Lebron James, Howard is a multi-time all-star and is also considered as one of the genuine superstars of the sport. Yet, memes concerning him suggest otherwise. The general consensus conveyed through the memes painted a villainous image towards Howard. He was regarded as selfish and immature, for putting himself before the team as fans felt he was getting paid an enormous sum of money to play a sport. Much of the memes mocked his constant trade demands and publicly venting his frustrations with coaching and management staff. From an industrial perspective, fan created memes can provide valuable insight into how fans perceive and interpret carefully crafted star images. However, they can also be a negative impact. The disparity and diversity that exists within memes, along with digital media’s ability to facilitate mass spread in a short period of time, means fan opinions that challenge the commercial imperatives of the sports industry, is difficult if not impossible to control.