That's entirely true.
But here's the weird part--it's only true for certain mediums.
If I said I'm the biggest Wicked fan in the world--people would think of more of the crazies at the stage door, etc.
But...if I say I'm the biggest Yankee fan in the world, most people either start loving me for it, or try to say bad things about the Yankees to me--but none of the bad connoctations of "fan" comes up in that context.
Similarly, if I go to...40 shows a year, I would be called obsessed.
If I go to 40 games a year, I would be called passionate or loyal.
(This is all just by the average, of course there are people who wouldn't do any of the above but taking the average person, those are the likeliest reactions).
"If there was a Mount Rushmore for Broadway scores, "West Side Story" would be front and center. It snaps, it crackles it pops! It surges with a roar, its energy and sheer life undiminished by the years" - NYPost reviewer Elisabeth Vincentelli