On Bigsoccer we have a wide range of nationalities, many are from other countries supporting teams abroad, I understand that someone in a country with not so good teams decides to support a team that is abroad, however what about those who are lucky enough to have such a good team structure in there country? I personally am born and bred in London, due to influecne I was also bound to be an Arsenal or Man United fan, only because my friends supported them, however I now think you should let your team choose you, which is how I came to support Fiorentina, I don't know how or why but it just sort of clicked, looking into them more and more really took my interest into them, I am forever grateful for that Fifa game I played with them .I'm 14 but I'll be sticking to them for life,
I do get a lot of stick for being a fake supporter because apparently I should support an English Team and the England National Team.
Well, you should support the team your heart tells you to support. I don't think you that much choose it. People are also in so different circumstances regarding what teams they support. Some people's parents/older siblings/etc were major fans of a team X, so that affects. But for some, it's not like that. Some people happened to be born in areas that are major centers of football (Brazil, Madrid...), but some were born in minor areas - countries who rarely make WC, countries whose domestic leagues are notably humble in quality. Some people "chose" their club during the time when no global exposure of football was available daily, some people not. And so on and on. Support whoever you want, but be cautious of judging people whose relation to their supported club isn't similar to yours.
Rana something you probably will find interesting. Brazil as you know is a huge country and we also have the same argument as you see here about supporting local teams within our own country. So.. Most people in Brazil support the big teams from Rio/SP even if they have their own local leagues and teams, but certain teams have local followings that dwarfs the attendance from the big clubs. Santa Cruz (serie B) and Remo (not qualified for national competitions not even D league) are 2 teams which avg on the state tournaments they participate on, higher attendance than the big clubs in Brazil, and every time I see that it actually makes me like those 2 teams even more. So yes I agree that you can't choose a team to support you just kind of do, I also believe there is a lot to be said about experiencing from up close the atmosphere of being around the team you support, and I do believe most people which support teams from far are either glory hunters or were influenced as young kids that they need to support those teams, but they grow up to have little connection with the team. They just kind of follow them along and don't become passionate about it. Now.. I do relate to you @Deranged my Hockey team which I do support buy merchandise and am completely sick about is the LA Kings.. why? Because back in Brazil I would play NHL Stanley Cup 1993 and I just happened to pick the Kings because they were on the cover, and I loved how a guy which wore #99 would score so much for me, and how amazing #23 was also. Eventually I moved to the US and discovered they were called Luc Robitaille and Wayne Gretzky, but by then I was already a LA Kings fan. And I'm a gamer... This is how I pick my teams NBA - Pistons NHL - LA Kings Fifa - Vasco / Brazil MLB - Marlins NFL - Dolphins I can't play any of those games unless I'm playing for those teams hahahaha bizarre I know. Even so I can honestly say in my order of connection with teams is Vasco (from Rio where I grew up) Marlins (where I live now) Dolphins, Kings, Pistons. Oh.. pistons was because of Grant Hill
This is a good topic - and one that I argue with my friends about all the time. I personally think you should have a connection to the teams you support. It annoys me when Americans would rather cheer for Brazil than the US and look down on US soccer as second rate. Isn't the whole point of international soccer to cheer for your own country? We MLS fans also have trouble with fans who would rather cheer for a PL club than a local one - what connection do you have to Manchester other than you like to cheer for a winner? On the other hand, sports fandom is highly personal and at the end of the day, I can't judge someone too harshly for loving the team that they do - the heart wants what the heart wants right? It just doesn't make a lot of sense to me personally to cheer for a club or country that has nothing to do with me. It's why I even though I feel like I should pick a Premier League team because I watch so much of it - I have a hard time since most teams feels like I'm just glory hunting, Arsenal or Spurs for example, or what the heck do I know about Swansea or Hull? But speaking of glory hunting, I might actually have to pick Man City because if I become an FC NY fan, I'll have a connection to them and may want them to do well.
I support one normally elite club, Manchester United. What annoys me is when somebody supports elite clubs in three leagues like Chelsea, Bayern Munich, and Paris Saint-Germain (unless the person had lived in London, Munich, and Paris).
I first watched Seattle Sounders back in '95 or so, on cable, as I've never lived in Seattle. But I loved the footage of their stadium (Memorial? I know it's near the Needle, which looked gorgeous at night). A also loved their kits and their name. Those were my reasons. Take them or leave them. I didn't really know enough about soccer at the time to really judge players. Man City I simply got interested in in their final year in the second tier, when it looked as if they'd get promoted (and they did). I was just sick of Man U dominating the english soccer scene, and wanted a derby in that area (although I'm not sure if either team resides legally in that local government area, but they do both have "Manchester" in their names.). And now, it looks like they are here to stay.
Fair enough if you enjoy watching a team from abroad, but you should always at least try going to the games of your local team, no matter the standard.
Yes.. People should support their local team ( nearest city).. What i hate is the glory hunters especially the fake man utd fans.. Its just ridiculous ..i meet them all the time !! They are like the fake liverpool fans of the 1980s
I am from the US, and obviously I always support the national teams, but I fell in love with Brasil's Selecao a LOOOOONG time ago (1982) and they have always been my true love. The same holds trur for US Pro football. I simply cannot follow the MLS at all, it bores me to no end and I fine the Prem League and Bundesliga that much more fun to watch. My friends here in the States say I should support local football, but I cannot.
I always liked leeds utd because i was named after johnny giles and my dad supported them but i support leicester because they are my local city team.. Everyone liked the brazil 82 team ! They made people fall in love with the game but i dont think you can really support a national team..you can admire them of course
Because you experience something nothing like "supporting" a team you have no real connection with and are half a world away. It's like being married but having only talked online with your wife. It just doesn't compare to the real thing. Also that's how football flourishes. With actual support from the local populace and not manufactured plastic fans.
I am in the US. I will root for my team, but they are not that good. I am a realist and without a miracle, we won't get out of Group Stages
I support my local team, having grown up in North London just down the road from Highbury. Whilst in theory one would ordinarily support their local team, I think as long as there is some genuine connection to the team (be it family or perhaps even the first team that you saw or whatever) you can be considered a real fan. Not that anybody should really tell anybody who to support, but if you grew up in London, born in the late 80s early 90s and support Man Utd or born in the 70s and support Liverpool then you'll be taken less seriously.