# What is the psychology behind people obsessing over celebrities?W **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 1, 2015, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-psychology-behind-people-obsessing-over-celebrities-w/729564 "2015-09-01T01:25:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2015, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-psychology-behind-people-obsessing-over-celebrities-w/729564/21 "2015-09-03T19:49:13Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > Ty Cobb had his fan base, but he was a mean and vicious son-of-a-bitch who was nowhere near as widely beloved as the Babe. Among Detroit Tiger fans he most certainly was extremely popular. I’m also sure many of them were aware of this reputation as “a mean and vicious son-of-a-bitch” but were okay with it because he was _their_ “mean and vicious son-of-a-bitch.” The “home team factor” will often make people tolerate behavior that they’d normally condemn. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2015, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-psychology-behind-people-obsessing-over-celebrities-w/729564/22 "2015-09-04T23:13:48Z")
> [@NDP](#): > > Among Detroit Tiger fans he most certainly was extremely popular. I’m also sure many of them were aware of this reputation as “a mean and vicious son-of-a-bitch” but were okay with it because he was _their_ “mean and vicious son-of-a-bitch.” The “home team factor” will often make people tolerate behavior that they’d normally condemn. Okay, among Detroit Tiger fans Ty Cobb most certainly was extremely popular. But nationwide, arguably worldwide\*, the Babe was a true phenomenon. There really is no comparison. - Worldwide in the sense that people knew baseball, through newsreels and such. Probably not in, say, rural Nepal. ---
**Author:** ![EdwardLost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bbe5ce/32.png) [@EdwardLost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EdwardLost)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2015, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-psychology-behind-people-obsessing-over-celebrities-w/729564/23 "2015-09-05T00:02:56Z")
From odd things I’ve seen and read, I’m under the impression that European royalty have gotten the celebrity treatment for centuries. A PBS documentary described pre-revolution France being awash in anonymous, often vulgar pamphlets attacking Marie Antoinette. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-psychology-behind-people-obsessing-over-celebrities-w/729564.md?page=1)