Kim Atienza is just one of the many individuals who shared their sentiments on a viral video of local volleyball stars allegedly snubbing fans during their trip to Boracay.
The news personality recently shared a netizen’s video of the Choco Mucho Flying Titans walking past their fans who were greeting them, as heard in the clip.
Based on the video, some players acknowledged their fans but declined their request for a photo.
“As public personalities, (yes athletes are also public figures) We have a choice to inspire and show gratitude to fans who passionately support us or we can choose to stay private and give them the cold shoulder.
“This team should be advised that catering to fans is a responsibility, otherwise, stay out of the public eye and play privately. What an irritating yet sad sight. I hope they are advised by their sponsors to act properly in public,” he wrote.
Under the post, Atienza explained that the women from the team could have been tired during the viral moment.
He responded to a Facebook user: “Baka pagod lang sila. It happens. It’s also proper to remind them because they are young and have a bright future.”
While netizens on Facebook agreed with the news personality, his statement drew flak on Twitter as users stressed that the athletes are not celebrities.
“Kuya Kim, these are athletes, not celebrities. They are volleyball players, not actors. It’s their off-season, which is their only time to rest and recover. Instead of telling them how to treat fans better, why not tell fans to set boundaries? A little empathy would be nice,” a netizen wrote.
On his Twitter page, Atienza has been reposting the tweets of fans defending the players of Choco Mucho.
