What to Make of Roger Federer's Weird Controversy with India and Pakistan

Roger Federer probably had no idea that a photograph of him holding India's national cricket team jersey would set off an international incident. 

Now that the world knows, the whole thing seems sort of weird. 

Sports fanaticism reaching the ridiculous is nothing new. However, even in this social-media age, the uproar over Federer rooting for a cricket team is beyond absurd.

The outrage among some Pakistani fans was so disproportionate to Federer's actions that at first it seemed farcical. No way were true life-long Federer fans giving him the boot over this. 

Oh, yes they did. The Husni Shafqat tweeted his disappointment regarding Federer's actions:

Federer posted the picture with the team jersey to his Facebook page. Then he tweeted it with the hashtag #bleedblue, a reference to India's team colors.

Fans of the Pakistani cricket team, which India defeated Sunday, took offense. 

The backlash was swift. Threats were tweeted. Diehard Federer fans vowed to remove his posters from their walls.

One longtime Federer fan felt so strongly about the incident that he wrote a lengthy editorial, "Dear Federer, why would you choose to bleed blue?" in the Express Tribune, an Indian newspaper published in conjunction with the International Herald Tribune.

The writer, Sulaiman Ijaz, wrote about how he and other Pakistani tennis fans were hurt and disappointed by Federer's actions. 

"

I did an informal poll of the dozen biggest Pakistani Roger fans I know. All very serious fans, mind you. Two of them were not bothered by the picture. But 10 of the 12 felt seriously hurt or betrayed. Six of those 10 said you had acted “like a sell-out” and have stopped supporting you altogether.

"

Sellout? This implies that Federer is trading something, perhaps his integrity, to find favor with Indian cricket fans.

Laughable. 

Federer has long expressed his admiration for Indian culture. It was never questioned until he took sides in one of the most heated sports rivalries on the planet: India vs. Pakistan in cricket. And he chose to do it on the eve of the big cricket World Cup game between the countries. 

Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

Reaction to Federer's jersey love depended on which side you were on. Team India celebrated Federer's allegiance. Pakistani loyalists' responses ranged from the benign "Oh no he didn't," to pledges to wipe the maestro from memory.

The political and religious clashes between India and Pakistan are well-documented. But Federer is neither Indian nor Pakistani. He plays professional tennis, not cricket. With the aid of Photoshop, Webcat provided a photo of Federer riding an elephant, complete with the Federer logo:

These fans need to get a grip.

Federer's love affair with India is no secret. Last year, Federer asked fans to take him on a tour of India via Photoshop. His followers tweeted photoshopped pictures of Federer in all kinds of places and situations. It became a Twitter sensation. 

Federer loves Indian food and talked about consuming naan bread while he played in the IPTL. There was no protest from Pakistani fans over this outward show of support for India.

That's probably because Pakistan and Indian are not bread-making rivals. Cricket is different. This is the World Cup, and the rivalry between these teams is nearly as old as the border conflicts.

According to the BBC, one billion people watched the game between India and Pakistan. That smokes the Super Bowl's estimated world-wide viewership of 160 million. 

Passionate and dedicated fans make sports more interesting. People throwing shade at their rival via Twitter is a welcomed form of trash talk.

Clearly, many Pakistani sports fans are as serious about their tennis as they are cricket. But attacking a fan, even a celebrity one, for being a fan? The dude was holding a jersey. He's not joining India's armed forces. 

Go ahead, tweet disapproval. Unlike his Facebook page. Start rooting for Rafa if it makes you feel better. But if you feel personally insulted, wronged or betrayed...it's time to put down the haterade and seek help.