A few of my friends and I, we have this ongoing conversation about the rider-worship the surrounds Valentino Rossi. I imagine all the greats in sports have their fanatics – the ladies that would do anything for one night with Michael Jordan, the guys that would lick the sweat off Danica Patrick, and of course the thousands of only slightly more well-balanced individuals who spend their fandom amassing countless amounts of branded apparel and accessories.

In the big picture, it is all about the power of an athlete’s personal brand, which in reality functions and is no different than the brand of a corporation. In that regard, maybe we shouldn’t be surprised when we find superfans, who have vast collections of Rossi memorabilia, and follow The Doctor’s career (and personal life) with astute attention. After all, are these individuals any more different than the collector who has only Ducati superbikes in his/her dream garage? Not really.

Yet, there is something profoundly strange about adult…heterosexual…men who fawn over the nine-time World Champion with vigor only surpassed by the that 12-year-old girls show The Bieber. The video after the jump is clearly Bridgestone tapping into this star power of VR46 in its most extreme form. But honestly, if you saw this Rossi superfan at a race, would you really be that surprised?