Why do Americans like Bobby Fischer?

I mean, he hated Americans, even though he was American.

What are Americans thoughts on this?

I feel like you are generalizing too much.  As an American, I don't really like his personality, but his play at the pre-computer era was pretty good.  However, now a days his play/tactical shots don't really work at the highest level.

Has this not been beaten to death enough?

He "hated" chess too.  The man was mentally ill.  If this "hatred" is worthy of (more) analysis, it would be by those interested in studying mental illness.

I liked Bobby Fischer as a chess player, but not as a person if that makes any sense. I would rate him as probably one of the greatest 10 chess players ever, but his personality was too hate filled and paranoid along with delusions of granduer (sp?)

Nationalism is a dangerous game it groups human beings and the next step is to say one group is better than another. We need to judge people as individuals not by race, colour, creed or by what games they happen to play well.

Some say we should not judge at all; this is total error, but we do need to have a sharp judgement and take care before we accept what others may say.

Bobby fulfilled the American dream of selecting a goal and putting 110

percent effort to achieve it. He also beat the Russians. He also 

lived in a crazy world which  unfortunately affected him.

I've encountered a lot of US chess players, and none of them have expressed any special regard for Fischer.

In all honesty, I respect his talent, shrewdness and savvy. However, I loathed his arrogance and continual need to blame someone else for his problems.

   I think the feeling many have towards him isn't as simple as 'like' or 'don't like' - it's more complicated than that.  On the one hand, he was a great chess player and he was a world champion in a game whose greatest players have rarely been Americans so there is a sense of pride in that.  

   On the other hand he was a paranoid and hateful person - but I think many people give him a little bit of a pass on that because a lot of that was related to mental illness probably and how can you really be angry at someone who does what they do as a result of mental illness? 

   I think that would be a common feeling among Americans towards Bobby Fischer - slightly defensive about him though not embracing him too closely due to his abrasive and difficult personality.

He beat the russians. Plus everyone loves rooting for an American #1.

I think this is intentionaly provoking question, so I would advise all Americans to hold their horses.

As  for the reasom why Americans like Fischer, I think it was because he was a HERO - he achieved what none of the could - winning the world title and beating the Russians. Also, the writting of the press, ever hungry for sensations, played quite a part in lifting him to the status of Hero. And he played some bloody good chess.

I like this answer, I just find it weird when he calls Americans jews, and he laughs at 9/11 and say you guys deserve it, no matter how much you like him, he went a bit overboard, and still people stuck with him.

I agree his chess is awesome, but not him as a person.

@SerbianChessStar: You're generalizing way too much, and the title assumes all Americans like him, which is untrue. Some people like him, some don't. America is extremely diverse with people of every single opinion existing over here.  Fischer didn't hate all Americans. He hated things about America, like many of its government/foreign policies, and surely certain people in power he disliked, but who can honestly say they love everybody/everything in their own country?  I would never dislike anyone for criticising things he dislikes about America. I would hear out his argument and judge for myself. "Patriotism is your conviction that this country is superior to all others because you were born in it."--George Bernard Shaw

The man was extremely intelligent, a dogged student, and extremely dedicated to being the best. As a World Champion for America during the Cold War era against the Soviets, he elevated Chess to levels it had never seen before. For these things, he's admirable.  It's silly to insinuate that a man must be judged either entirely positively or negatively. Complicated characters deserve to be viewed as such.

I agree with you but one part, he hated Americans and America, he laughed at 9/11, he calls americans jews (and you know how much he hates jews), I am sure he hated the people.

Because he was more of a drama queen than Megan Fox and Lindsay Lohan combined

I like playing through some of his games. There were some brilliancies. Mind blowing stuff to me. Of course, much the same can be said of many other highly ranked chess players. Personally, I don't care what he liked or didn't like. His games were of some interest, but there's plenty more material out there. I certainly didn't take the day off work when I heard of his passing. lol- not many did, I would assume.

Because he was bigger and meaner, and his mind was more keener.

 However, now a days his play/tactical shots don't really work at the highest level.redchessman

OH really? Is there some citation for this bit of preposterous hogwash besides your sayso?

As for Fischer, I admired him as a GM but as a human being he was a stupid, selfish, sociopathic asshole - euphemestically known as "mentally ill."

Since, in order to support your assertion that mental illness is nothing but a "euphemism", you need to say that Bobby Fischer was stupid; I would likewise suggest the need for further 'citation'.

Americans took to Bobby Fischer because he was an underdog, who won. He largely disappeared after failing to defend the championship. The general public has never heard his Anti-Semetic and Anti-American rants. If the true Fischer were known, I doubt the public would embrace him now.