Fandom Opinion

Hello guys. I don't play league since years but I'm into the lore and I'm trying to catch up. After getting the overall concept all champions and regions I liked Ionia very much. Character arcs, views and living style seemed so good for me.

While wandering the fandom I've came across some comments about Ionia being "the golden boy" of riot since it has a variety of characters with actual lore and also had it's own season. İs that a thing or just a few comments? Is being an Ionia fan like being a Real Madrid fan?