|
|
Post by DimArtist on Mar 12, 2015 4:00:11 GMT
I'm 26 years old and I am a MUFC fan since the UCL final in 1999 at Camp Nou when I fell in love with Manchester United. Lately, I have been researching about this kind of philosophy that you must and only support one team and that must be your local team and I'm kind of confused. I was born in a west suburb of Athens of Greece named Peristeri. Sure we have a local football team named Atromitos FC, I played in this team for some years at the youth section of the team. But I never got any emotional bond with the team. I barely knew the line-up. I was just playing because my father sent me to and because it had and currently has a good reputation on making good footballers. In Greece, the football is totally corrupted combined with poor performances. There is no way you can enjoy a football match. Yes, the atmosphere is fantastic and the fans go crazy as hell but there is no real skillful football. The good matches happen only three or four times a year. I support Olympiacos just to answer the question "Hey, which team do you support?". I will make myself ridiculous if I answer "I don't, I just don't watch greek league's football, I watch only foreign football, mostly Premier League and La Liga; I'm a supporter of Man Utd". I've been following MUFC for about 16 years and when United loses I'm gutted for days. I only have that emotional bond with MUFC. This never happened with any other team. The thing is that I don't live in Manchester, I don't live next to OT. I live in Athens, Greece and it's extremely far away from Manchester and I hope someday I will be able to visit Manchester and OT. Sure, glory hunters (people who two years ago were Dortmund fans and this season are fans of Wolfsburg, constantly changing teams because of which team is on the top of the table and swap team shirts and being not loyal etc.) are the worst. But noone can tell me which team should I support and I can't support anything that I don't have any emotions with this club. I will only stop supporting Man Utd when my comrades, Man Utd fans, tell me so. In conclusion, football is a worldwide sport. TV and Internet have achieved what in decades ago seemed impossible. Any guy can watch a football club and be part of it. Man Utd was born in Manchester but I believe that it's a global football team with supporters from all around the world. I would love to read your opinion. Thank you very much for your time. Sorry for the long post. P.S. Food for thought: (1) www.telegraph.co.uk/men/the-...-wrong-with-not-supporting-my-local-team.html2) |
|
|
|
Post by Jie on Mar 12, 2015 12:54:50 GMT
I will only stop supporting Man Utd when my comrades, Man Utd fans, tell me so. That should be good. Ok, stop supporting United.  |
|
|
|
Post by Splendid Spy on Mar 13, 2015 16:57:04 GMT
I don't think it applies to United only... what about Chelsea , Arsenal, City, Liverpool fans? coming back to your point, I don't think it's fair to say we must live or born in the Manchester area to be a United fan. Absurd.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Mar 13, 2015 17:10:08 GMT
Support who you want if you've got no natural affinity with a particular town or place. Some clubs catch the eye, some don't, you're free to choose who you want. Anyone who tells you otherwise, or not to support some team or other, fuck 'em, what's it got to do with them anyway?? :lol:
People like me who were indoctrinated at birth are the ones who had no choice in the matter. My family are reds, so I had no option, my father made me one of them. :lol:
I've got a natural affinity for the Dutch national side because Johan Cruyff was an idol as a kid, I used to prefer watching them over the England national team.
Mind you I prefer watching the dog next door take a dump than watching them these days.
|
|
|
|
Post by DimArtist on Mar 13, 2015 19:47:51 GMT
Sure, we can support whoever we want but the sad truth is that we will never reach the passion and the support of people who actually were born raised and live in Manchester. I don't think it's the same, that is what I'm saying. After waatching this video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4V3DtsTtU4s) it made me wonder that I'm probably a glory hunter because I have no real geographical connection with the city of Manchester. Someone who is from London or Greece like me will never understand what your city (Manchester) means to have achieved success. I also support Olympiacos but if I ever see someone who lives abroad and tells me that he is a die hard supporter of Olympiacos I will probably laugh. It makes more sense to support a team which is 10 miles from your home than millions of miles.
|
|
|
|
Post by Nemanja79 on Mar 13, 2015 21:12:36 GMT
It makes more sense to support a team which is 10 miles from your home than millions of miles. No. It depends where you live (in what environment). It depends what your childhood and life was like. It depends on many things. |
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Mar 13, 2015 21:24:14 GMT
Definitely depends how early you started as a kid as to how much passion you generate for yourself usually. The younger you are (and you start loving the game) and attaching to a team, the more passion you generate. I've found that to be true for British fans from different regions, so it'll work the same way for international fans, people are people, etc.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Mar 13, 2015 21:29:25 GMT
I consider myself an ex-glory hunter.
I still support Chivas, my "ex-local" team. However, I started watching United games more than a decade ago. Not as a fan mind you, I just followed United because I liked the way they played. However, after watching them so often, there came a point when I actually started supporting them. Habit does that to you. Over the years, I've learned more and more about his club. Times have clearly changed and this team is not at the top anymore and yet I still support the club. So even though "gloryhunting" is how I may have started off, I don't consider myself a gloryhunter today.
However, it is true that I will not experience the fandom in the same way that local fans do. Technology has managed to spread the premier league to all parts of the world and yet people are held back by travel costs so they cannot go watch their club live on a consistent basis . But I'm sure local fans don't experience the craze when United goes on a tour to other countries that get packed with fans from a completely different background than the fans back home. It's the nature of globalization. For that reason, I don't see a problem with people committing themselves to a foreign team. Key word being commit.
I believe Mexicans can enjoy Chinese food. I believe Canadians can enjoy the abstract art of the Spanish Dali. And Americans can enjoy Japanese anime. Sure, you don't have the same experience or perhaps even culture as the creators, but does that really matter? I say the same about football. Enjoy your club without worrying about what others think of you.
|
|
|
|
Post by Dave on Mar 13, 2015 21:50:13 GMT
Good analogy(?) Miguel.
I think it is logical to support your local team, that way you can get the full experience I guess and there is a special connection to your home town. That said people can do what they want, they are no less of a fan because of their geographical location.
Manchester is my home town, my dad's side are all reds so I was brought up that way.
It seems to be dying out though, the 'modern' way seems to be to let your kids choose a team. Utter nonsense.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Mar 13, 2015 23:25:43 GMT
Wigan is local enough to Manchester for me to get away with supporting A local team (Wigan is actually in Manchester technically....well Greater Manchester) but I would've had no choice even if I'd been born in Timbuktu. My Dad is a big United fan and all my Mother's side of the family are massive Liverpool fans...there was no way my Dad was going to take any chances with me supporting those cunts.
I think most fans outside of Manchester are to a small level a glory hunter in so much as they wouldn't have fallen in love with the club if they weren't so much in the public eye due to their success over the years. That being said I don't have an issue with anyone supporting a club no matter where you're from as long as you're not one of these fickle fans that tend to jump ship when things start going wrong. Which I don't think is the case for the foreign fans on here, most follow the club through thick and thin and I can tell will always support the club no matter what happens in the future.
|
|
|
|
Post by Nemanja79 on Mar 13, 2015 23:27:09 GMT
The heart and soul can reach places where legs and eyes never could.
Good analogy?
And yeah, I've been a glory hunter with the age of thirteen, if that counts. That was like a 1992. :lol:
Elder glory hunter is something completely different, no passion whatsoever, no sticking to one but seeking for the best at the moment, no?
|
|
|
|
Post by Splendid Spy on Mar 14, 2015 1:09:32 GMT
Uncles and cousins all supported Liverpool and when i was 5 they tried forcing me to support them..to the extent of getting me rush and barnes posters. Thankfully i made my own decision not to follow them.
|
|
|
|
Post by DimArtist on Mar 14, 2015 8:37:01 GMT
I'm not only talking about United. I mean any club. If a European team has success name it Bayern, Real, Barca many football fans worldwide there will be keen to follow that team and be fans. Just like me when I watched the UCL final in Barcelona and I fell in love with them. Sure, they can. Everyone has that right to support any team. United had a serious decline of fans (depending on the likes at the Facebook page) just because they had a shitty season last year (and probably this one).
As I said Greek football is corrupted and most of all it's 'unwatchable'. It's shitty but we still have basketball which is top level and Olympiacos is a top European team among others. It's the only thing that I can actually watch even though I am not that fan of basketball.
I am not a fan of globalisation (in the political way). Yes my favourite music comes from England, football from England and Spain, food from Italy etc. but what I really don't like is that money has brainwashed in such a level football teams that make tours and playing shitty friendlies in non European fields and they don't make a serious preparation for the new season. Money talks and that's how it is but sometimes I'm against to that kind of capitalist logic that modern football follows.
I'm terribly confused because I don't know if I'm obliged to only follow a shitty local team in a shitty league or can I support more than one team.
And this thing runs in my head for 2 weeks and it's the only thing I really think of. Sick, I know.
|
|
|
|
Post by DimArtist on Mar 14, 2015 10:22:22 GMT
By the way, have you noticed that the most fans who call us glory hunters are from lower league teams? Just noticed it and it makes you think.
|
|
|
|
Post by Nemanja79 on Mar 14, 2015 10:36:54 GMT
If a European team has success name it Bayern, Real, Barca many football fans worldwide there will be keen to follow that team and be fans. It's a completely expected and normal thing if the fan is a kid who doesn't have any aspiration to anyone yet, so if you're one of that kind, stop worrying about that FFS! Even if you aren't, I couldn't give a two fecks if you're a glory hunter or not. As long as you're not a wum or troll (in a bad and annoying way), you're the fellow supporter to me!End of. |
|
