There are a considerable number of folks who do want a tight fit.
Lots of folks like to smoke, too. Doesn't mean their preference is wise.
Anyone who knows how the 1911 actually works knows that the objective benefits of a tight slide-to-frame fit are negligible for most practical applications. Also note that the tightest of the semi-custom guns are also known to be occasionally unreliable out of the box prior to being broken in with a case of hardball. See some of the expensive parts of 1911forum.com for details. Most would consider out-of-the box unreliability undesireable, but a few consider it a virtue due to the power of marketing. Of course, there is a difference between a showpiece or a game gun and a practical
weapon.
"Sloppy" is relative. The original Colt Government Models and Colt military 1911s weren't sloppy, they were fairly snug... without binding. They are only seen as being sloppy now because they've been shot for
90+ years. Even in a purpose-built bullseye gun, the difference in accuracy between that fit (snug but smooth in operation) and and a gun so tight you can't cycle it by hand unaided is vanishingly small. On the other hand, a gun that rattles when you shake it doesn't really do you any good, even in bad environment reliability, but it doesn't really hurt you like tightness fetishists claim, either.
Browns and Wilsons tend to be on the snug side, but not so ridiculously tight that they aren't smooth in operation. Les Baers and Rock River Arms tend to be at the extreme edge of tightness that still (usually) allows function out of the box. Kimbers vary from fairly snug to crazy tight, Colts on the loose side, Springfields all over the map.
My 1911s aren't sloppy, though a new-production 01991 I had was a little loose (if no baby rattle like Colt bashers whine about). It was also more reliable and just as accurate as my older Kimber Classic Stainless Target model. My custom 1911s have always been what I'd call "snug but smooth," they have no perceptible play but don't bind up or interefere with function.
Tightness is nice right up until your gun quits working in its intended environment. At that point you are just making excuses and trying to look cool in front of your friends by bragging on how "custom" your gun is.