Long post incoming, but what the hell. Here goes.
I appreciate one point Josh made in this video. Something I think Thorin can be better about acknowledging is that rooting for TSM can be taken to mean various things (incidentally, I think Kelsey Moser would also do well to recognize this). For instance, let's take the statement "TSM will win worlds." It can either be (1) a deliberate assessment of TSM's strength as a team or (2) an expression of one's fandom. Of course, these two can mix. Individuals who are emotionally invested in a team will often assess them as being greater than they are. On the other hand, disliking a team will often dispose one to point out its weaknesses more quickly, and often less carefully. As fans, we ought to be self-reflective and honest about these tendencies.
When TSM fans say that their team will win worlds or even go far and e-sports journalists , "Well, you're stupid for thinking that," it seems like these journalists conflate (1) deliberate assessment and (2) expression of fandom. If any one of us had a gun pointed to our head and were told, "Correctly pick the team that will win worlds," very few, if any, of us would pick TSM. But when Worlds comes around, we root for TSM as an expression of fandom.
Here's my question: what exactly is the alternative for fans who love their team and hope for them to win? Would these journalists prefer that we say, "I'm emotionally invested in TSM but they suck"? Brief side comment about my personal life: I study philosophy, more specifically ethics (applying for my second Masters program soon). One important concept in the field is something called the "diversity of goods." The idea is basically this: there are various values in life (e.g. integrity, justice against oppressive forces, enjoyment and pleasure, etc.). These values are different such that they cannot be quantitatively measured against one another. There is no common currency between them. Here's an example: which is better? To enjoy an ice cream cone or to write a piece of poetry? Well, you can say which one you'd prefer in that moment, but can you say whether one is "better" than another? They're both good things, but they can't be measured because they operate on different scales. In a word, "apples and oranges."
It appears to me an unstated assumption for many e-sports journalists like Thorin is that their highest value is accurate and proper assessment. In a word: precision. Philosophically, Thorin is an empiricist. Not only his videos, but the philosophy quotes he retweets in his Twitter prove this. But for a lot of TSM fans, their highest value is of a different kind altogether: loyalty. Loyalty to the team they love and hope for, in spite of all the statistics and history which would suggest that, pragmatically, one ought not to root for this team.
But is that so wrong? Is it so naive and childish to be loyal to a team, and to deem that loyalty a higher value than precise assessment? I'm a firm believer in the "diversity of goods," so I don't think so. Monte has often made jabs toward TSM fans, saying, "You shouldn't root for this team because you should root for a team who actually wins." But this is just implausible. If, as an individual, your highest value is winning (and for some it is), then sure, switch teams. But if your highest value is not, then you'd have other reasons to root for your team.
As much as I dislike CLG as a team, this is one reason I think much of their fanbase deserves some respect. They've been so damn loyal to their team amid their ups and downs, literally to the point that their "faith" has become a meme. It would be absurd for a TSM fan to waltz into their subreddit and claim, "Your loyalty is stupid because CLG sucks domestically." No, their loyalty is not stupid. It's remarkable and admirable. Neither do I think TSM fans who root for a team that has virtually never proven itself internationally are stupid. It was never about any of that. It has always been about loyalty.
On that note, TSM will win Worlds this year :)