Just a few thoughts on these "Who should I support" threads. I think that if you are trying to decide in a league that you actually have some decent exposure to (EPL, La Liga, Bundesliga in the USA) you should decide by feeling. My first exposure to English soccer was a highlight show where I saw Cantona and became a huge fan of his and thus Man United. I am a Real Madrid fan (not crazy, just look at the scores) because of Raul and his goal vs. Nigeria in WC98. I became a Hertha Berlin fan because they were on one day and I liked thier jerseys, they had an American and they were a smaller club (compared to Bayern) who could compete at the top of the table. I have recently asked people to help me pick a Nationwide team and got many ideas, but then I got on the net and did research and picked Stockport County. I can't see them here in the States so I did it that way. My advice on the big leagues is watch games and eventually you will realise that you are rooting for a team every week.
This type of thread is really difficult for a fan from a football playing country to comprehend. I was born and raised in Liverpool (Yes I know! ) With that you had just two choices. Red or Blue, at that time it was family or religion that formed your choice. I went against the family (My granddad used to play for Everton) and became a hardcore red and ONLY Red fan. For over 50 years. Well maybe the England team…as a back up…! I imagine it's the same in Argentina, Brazil or Germany. just to name a few. I can only imagine your dilemma, enjoying the sport but not having much choice, or even knowing how to base your choice on “Your” team. My advise, for what it’s worth. Is, just watch as much football from around the world (US included) as you can and you’ll find yourself looking forward to seeing one certain team again and again. There’s a clue…!!!!
I understand where you are coming from, I am a die-hard St. Louis fan (Blues, Cardinals, Rams) from birth and it is a big deal that I am marrying a girl from Chicago (kind of Everton-Liverpool but further apart). Certainly you enjoy soccer from other countries besides England? Do you root for anyone in these leagues? I think it is more about the fact that they (we?) watch other leagues and want to have a team to root for. It makes it more fun, I just can't make myself become a fan of any Argentine teams, so I rarely watch their league. Do you understand what I mean?
I was just curious what the religious affiliations are netween Everton adn Liverpool, b/c I was unaware there was one. You say you've been supporting them for over 50 years so has religion fallen of the reasons.
I can kind of understand it up to a point, it's strange following a league and not having aparticular team to support. It's like me with English football - I LOVE the league, it's quality, entertaining and I never miss it, yet I have no affination for one particular team. So yes I would agree that just let your feelings dictate what team you end up supporting, as if you start supporting a team for the sake of it - you will likely get bored
Religion..! (The cause of all the worlds problems) used to be a problem with football but for the most part people have gotten past this. Pre WWII and even up into the 60’s you could still see the red hand of Ulster on some of the banners. Liverpool and Everton along with Glasgow’s Rangers and Celtic were pretty sectarian. Liverpool and Rangers were predominately Proddies with Everton and Celtic being the Catlic crowd. There were some nasty, ugly moments but thank goodness most sane football supporters (Now there’s an oxymoron) got over that, as they’re getting over racism (Unless your from the Balkans) This thread has been discussed in depth before so I’ve just skimmed the surface.
It's a cultural thing... In about 1991, I was in London and I remember standing in a tube station talking to people while we were waiting for the train. (I think there was a probelm somewhere and it was delayed.) When I told them I was from the US, they would tell me what baseball, NFL, and basketball teams they followed in the US, even though they'd never been there. I thought that was rather odd.
By any chance would you have a link to the thread about religious affiliations in Liverpool? That is really interesting b/c I never knew there was a religious aspect. Also are religions as prominent today or is it more whoever your family supported?
Re: Re: It's a cultural thing... I like the Brisbane Lions, Aussie Rules, because they have the coolest kits.
Theres only one answer - support your local team. How can you support a team thousands of miles away? By buying their kits is about as far as it gets. Jokers.
Sports culture is TV-driven in the US, thanks to the NFL. You will find that many NFL fans who grew up in the 70's and 80's root for teams that they fell in love with watching on TV as little kids, not necessarily the local team. The NBA is very similar. Also, teams in the big sports leagues have long ceased being local institutions as they move around in franchise-form from city to city and random expansion teams are born from the ether. It is perfectly natural for an American sports fan to follow a league in detached TV-watching form all their lives and never see a game in person, and actually have a rooting interest in some far-off team. In this context, do you really expect an American sports fan to naturally choose to support their local soccer team? First of all, there are only 10 top-tier teams in MLS, and even MLS teams are considered "minor league" by some TV-watching couch potato snobs who spent the 90's watching European soccer. Then you have the lower divisions in the USL. Try getting American sports fans out to these games. Schyeah, right. "They make such little money, they must not be worth supporting. I only support the millionaire athletes who are on TV." It's all about TV. And the EPL is just a TV show set in a far-off exotic locale with a strange new culture to live vicariously, starring hollywood-grade millionaire athletes, complete with round-the-clock tabloid drama. C'mon, how can my local team compete with that? - Paul
The closest team to me is 200mi, 300km away - the KC Wizards - which I support as well as the local development team the Des Moines Menace. The next closest is Chicago Fire about twice that distance. I grew up in KC, so the Wizards were an obvious choice, many Iowans come from the Chicago area, and have allegiance to the Cubs and da Bears. There is also a lot of Fire fans in the area. My point was, in the USA it's a lot harder to follow your local team when we're so spread out, and TV, limited though it is, makes all the distances inconsequential.
usscouse, I thought that Liverpool had more Catholic leanings(as I have read in FourFourTwo). I could be wrong, I was born in the London area, so what do they know about football. My favorite side is Manchester United. I have been a fan since 1975 when I watched All Star Soccer on PBS with my older brother who grew up in the UK and was always a Man U supporter. I like Spurs too, probably because of their FA Cup runs in the early '80's. Also, they are considered the "Jewish" side though I doubt many London Jews still follow the club or live in the area of north London where White Hart Lane is located. I also like Celtic in Scotland, but I am not Catholic. I feel that you should support whatever team you want. Do not let religion or even success dictate your choice. Let it be that you like a certain player on the side, or because they have a Yank on the team, or that you like their kits. If they are a winning side or a side with a winning tradition, so what, that is the beautiful thing about being a fan.
Albion + England, nice logic if it were true even in England. I know plenty of Londoners who do not support any of the London clubs. My neice's husband is a Liverpool fan through and through and he was born and raised in Amersham. Are you telling him that he should support Amersham FC and only that, or the next best thing, Watford?
Hmm, the nearest MLS teams to me are all over 800 miles away to 1200 miles. Those are the close ones. The nearest a league team is 300 miles away or about 5 hours by car. Those of us in the US dont have 90+ pro teams and God only knows how many non league teams on every street corner to support.
The people who claim to support more than one team on here or who 'support' a foreign team are jokers. Yeah they may know their football but what benefit for example are Juventus gettin from a guy following them in Boston? 40 dollars for the top and thats it - big deal thats not support at all. Going to watch your team play regularly is support and sticking with them thru thick and thin - not picking them out of the blue cos you like one of their players and never going to see em play.
So the only reason to be a fan of a team is to give them financial support? So getting up at 6am (and earlier depending on where you are) and sweating through 90 minutes, just like a fan in the stadium does or a fan watching in that town does is not supporting? Struggling to find coverage of your team when they are not on FSW or when they are doing poorly is not supporting your team? How do you know who will ever get to see the team they support? You really should be an Arsenal fan, because you have that dumb@ss "better then thou" attitude and from an Albion fan, what a joke! I suppose I don't need to ask if you enjoy any other sports, because obviously that would only be if they are in Albion, since anything else would be against your strict code of ethics.
the word was "die-hard" and since the St. Louis Rams birth...yes. I root for all St. Louis teams, that's where I grew up and who I will support. What about you?
If this attitude is reflective of the attitude of WBA supporters and brain trust, then I know why Man United have become Man United and why WBA is still only WBA.