Perhaps it’s just that I’m getting older. It could be that people are more focused as myriad media sources clamour for our time. Maybe it’s the sociopolitical economy that drives the AFL.
But as I’ve aged, I hear less and less about that schoolyard phenomenon of the “second team.”
I’m not talking about Fremantle, Port Adelaide, the Suns or even the foetal Greater Western Sydney, but the schoolyard ritual often carried into adulthood which saw everyone barrack for one team – in my case Geelong – but also support another club in a less obvious way.
No scarves or jerseys, just a mental attachment and a more fond disposition to that team after your first love. Fond hopes for success – in good times for your squad or bad – and usually they had the honour of being the second match report you read in The Age or The Herald Sun.
And I know this isn’t a phenomenon only I ascribe(d) to: throughout my schoolboy days it was amongst the first questions you asked a potential new friend: “Who’dja barrack for?” – if the answer wasn’t your team, you hoped for a more positive response from your follow-up, “And who’s your second team?”
Growing up in Warrnambool, everyone had a second team – it went with the territory, both literally and figuratively.
In southwest Victoria, you supported one team – most often Geelong, Fitzroy, Collingwood or Essendon – and had a strong secondary preference for usually the club nearest by location or presence. In our case the closest club was Geelong, just over two hours drive away, while the young talent from the local Hampden league was “zoned” to Fitzroy, meaning that club had first choice of the available talent.
As the VFL necessarily begat the AFL and subsequently became the biggest sport in the country, it seems people have left their second team by the wayside.
You may well still feel well-disposed to that loveable bunch of rogues (for me, Footscray… err… the Western Bulldogs) but their stranglehold as “second team” is a little more untenable, broached by the Aussie love of the underdog or even recent club changes.
You don’t care so much when they struggle or when their star is poached by another (new?) club. So what’s promoted such a situation?
Predictably, there are many factors which promote a decrease in second teams’ importance in our national consciousness.
With clubs inspired more and more by the zen by “Six-Sigma”, “best process” and “branding”, they focus not just on vocal and visible support but the obvious revenue it generates. Ultimately, the league has become a business and as such follows the golden rule of the marketplace: there’s little room for sentimentality.
Memberships form such an important part of footy financing, and as memberships aren’t cheap, anyone who signs up wants value for money. Any time an Average Joe invests in a club, time formerly taken by a second team is often directed into a closer relationship with your first love.
As your stake in one club increases, it perhaps decreases the amount you invest in a second team.
Clubs now position each other to attract the punters’ attention, leaving little room for small smiles in the direction of other clubs. The league’s business sense – and make no mistake, the league had to evolve in this way – places a high premium on brand loyalty.
And for Average Joe and his mate Average Phil, that means you’ve gotta support the team. Preferably financially as well as emotionally.
As a signed-up Geelong member, I’m bombarded with seemingly daily updates as to what’s going on at the Cattery: Jimmy Bartel lays into Harry Taylor, Neil Balme’s opinions on issue X, Y or Z and even Mathew Stokes’ memory for sporting trivia.
The Cats want me as closely as possible in touch with club news and events and many members want that proximity. With such contact, they can colour my perception of my team: I can feel like I know “the boys” or that the club cares about me. I don’t doubt they do – just that like any relationship they’d like something from me as well.
With the banalities that often make up much of their emails, the Cats offer an “inside the dressing room” look at Kardinia Park, a chance to learn intimate knowledge of club operations and promote involvement in local events. Mostly, this is stuff you wouldn’t know about another club.
The Cats are staking out their territory: with emails, with online web chats and if they’re not podcasting they’re missing a fast-departing train.
Clubs want your full attention and I’d hazard a bet that many would probably prefer their fans don’t have a definite second team. And this is fine.
In a crowded entertainment marketplace where sport, fine art and plenty other methods of happy distraction vie for your custom, clubs are simply leveraging the tools at their disposal to ensure their competition. It comes though, at the expense of the second team: in order to promote themselves, clubs must suggest tacitly that their opposition is inferior (in excitement, potential, results, history, whatever), no matter how their on- or off-field merits.
The olden days – when Gary Ablett was a half-forward flanker – are gone and it’s mostly for the benefit. The game is in much better shape in nearly every way, no matter how rosy the glasses are that you use to look back on those halcyon days.
But subtly it’s come to an almost biblical invitation – if you’re not with us, you’re against us.
We can’t blame anyone for it – there’s really no need, either.
It’s just a strange change in the way we view our sport. Clubs need to continue to reinforce their brand, otherwise they may find themselves facing the fiscal situation of a Fitzroy or latterly, Port Adelaide and North Melbourne.
Cat fan that became an Eagle
Guest
I lived in Geelong till I was 12 and I went to every single game. We then moved to WA for Dad's work and I followed Geelong from afar and locally barracked for East Freo in the WAFL. When the Eagles joined the comp in '87 I switched immediately as I had become a parochial West Aussie by that stage and I wanted to watch my team play live at least every 2nd week instead of once per year at best. It's not hard to barrack for a successful club like the Eagles but that had nothing to do with my decision, I just got lucky with that one as they were the first WA team to enter the expanded competition. The Cats will always be my 2nd team and I've really enjoyed watching them finally win some flags and drop their handbag tag. In the 92 & 94 GF's against the Cats it was war and my loyalties were definetly with the Eagles. Hard for any footy fan not to love and respect this current Geelong team and I reckon their success has a lot to do with Brian Cook who was the Eagles CEO prior to joining Geelong and I'm proud of that. I wonder if I'd think differently if they were a bunch of pricks and beaten up on the Eagles in a few GF's?
Bayman
Guest
GrantS, So.....are you still a Port man? Power, Magpies or both? As a Glenelg supporter I simply detested Port with a passion although I absolutely envied their success. Strangely, although I loved seeing Port beaten, by anybody, I too had a soft spot for Jack Cahill. As a left-footer myself I could, as a youth, do a very passable imitation of the Cahill kicking action. I loved watching Cahill play and, of course, when he played for SA he was a legend. The thing that always fascinated me about Port was that incredible success was built by guys like Fos Williams, Bob McLean and, of course, Jack Cahill. Williams came from West Adelaide (after first trying out with Glenelg - I still cry about it), McLean from Norwood and Cahill from South Adelaide. It all could have been so different. In the SANFL my second team was always West Adelaide. In the VFL I originally followed Collingwood (my mother was a - can hardly say it - a Victorian!) and was a member. On arriving in Sydney in 1985 I took out membership of the Swans on the basis that if I was going to watch footy it had to be the Swans and I may as well be comfortable. Then Adelaide was formed for the 1991 season and I joined them as well (SA blood being thicker than Victorian/NSW water). I finally decided membership of three clubs in the same comp a tad excessive. Adelaide was kept because they were the team I was emotionally attached to, Sydney was kept because of the geography. Goodbye Collingwood. My last official act as a Collingwood supporter was the 1990 Grand Final - and premiership. Nice way to finish. Originally, I barracked for Collingwood against Sydney and I didn't really follow Sydney at all. I was just a member to watch football. Over time Sydney grew on me, familiarity I suppose, so that now I definitely have a second AFL team. The Crows and the Swans, in that order. I was happy to see the Maggies win the flag last year but that had more to do with the fact that I've always really disliked St.Kilda for some reason (but I loved watching Baldock and Stewart). Today, though, I'm very so-so about Collingwood. No feelings at all. Mum would be devastated.
The Cattery
Roar Guru
heh, heh, fair enough! of course I'm talking about neutrals showing less sympathy to the underdog with each successive premiership Similarly, I was genuinely happy to see the Swans break their duck in 2005, but by the time 2006 came along, I really couldn't bear to see their ugly duckling football any more.
Dingo
Guest
Not everyone agrees with your sentiment The Cattery. ;)
The Cattery
Roar Guru
On that last point, a good example: we might be happy to see the Lions have a break through premiership; less happy seeing them go back to back, and by the time the hattrick comes along, the friendship is well and truly worn.
matthew_wood040
Roar Rookie
Back in the old days, I used to hear that my team (Geelong) was often people's "second team". As a neutral observer, they had everything - the freakish play of Gary Ablett, toughness in Gary Hocking etc, Paul Couch was a garbageman, they kicked mammoth scores, they played well and finally, absolutely were never a threat to beat your team in the Grand Final as they'd always choke. The Aussie love for the Underdog is strong, but only until they actually become a threat to your team.
amazonfan
Roar Guru
"It’s is like that if you are a real fan." A 'real' fan according to whom? You? And what constitutes a 'real' fan? I agree with you regarding your first two paragraphs, however I think it is extremely unreasonable (and unnecessary) to talk about being a 'real' fan as if anyone has the right to judge the fandom of others.
amazonfan
Roar Guru
I don't have a second team, however I do have a soft spot for the Bulldogs and the Eagles. I was delighted for the Eagles when they won the 2006 flag, and I would love it if the Bulldogs could break through for a second flag. That said, any feelings I may have for them cease when they play Melbourne or if Melbourne is still in a position to win the flag.
Dingo
Guest
Can't say I have a second favourite team atm, I'm a Lions fan. What I can say is that there are teams that I don't like to watch and there are teams that I do. eg will watch the Blues, Pies, Cats, Hawks. Not too keen on watching the Dogs, Port, Saints, Freo, Sydney. I remember back in about 1991 I was at a Bears game at the Gabba and got talking to some other blokes there and they were going on about their favourite teams and giving each other some stick, one of them asked me who I barracked for and I told him Brisbane. He said, "no I mean who do you usually barrack for?" I said "Brisbane" He said " no one barracks for Brisbane, they only have them as their second team". I think he was probably close to the mark back then.
I was always a one team (Essendon) man until Pt Adelaide joined the AFL. I was then literally forced by my mates ( who knew I had played for Port in the lower grades) to barrack for them also or take a bake. After my all time favourite player (John Cahill) was removed as coach I didn't think the team ethic was the same and wanted to drop them but found that wasn't allowed in S.A. :)
olrac
Guest
For me it is Richmond, I used to support them as a kid because my brother did but my heart was never in it. Then I decided to go for Carlton. I still have a soft spot for the tiges since my brother, nephew, wife and all her family go for the Tigers. Also they have one of the best Theme songs.
Redb
Roar Guru
The tickertape parade of Dreamteam player points In AFL broadcasts shows just how big these fantasy teams have become.
matthew_wood040
Roar Rookie
Redb, that's a fantastic point - I hadn't taken into account the whole Supercoach/Dream Team phenomenon. As an NBA fan from way back, I don't really have an NBA franchise I barrack for (it used to be the Bulls, but nearly everyone in Australia could say that) but due to fantasy basketball I've just got guys I like (usually the guys on my fantasy team). The same has happened without question in the AFL.
Redb
Roar Guru
The new TV deal does not change the 4 games shown on FTA, apart from more games live than on delay with one exception (Sat arvo).
Doug
Guest
I reckon its because they show nearly all the games on TV now. When I was a kid the games were all on Saturday with maybe one game on Friday night. But chances are you wouldnt be watching your favourite team so naturally you would pick one team to barrack for. But good news with the new tv deal less games are going to be shown on FTA so people can go back to having a second favourite team! :-)
Redb
Roar Guru
Good article. I think on one hand with social media this is likely to continue. You follow your club, players on twitter,facebook,etc. More involvement and association with the club. It feel wrong to be getting texts or tweets from other clubs. However, as game telecasts have increased the exposure of the game and particuarly for those with Foxtel its very easy to watch 2-3 games a week that do not include your own team. So you become more a fan of the game rather than just your team. I can't speak for everyone but most Vic club fans will follow at least one interstate team and usually enjoy the better performing clubs like say Geelong, its much harder to enjoy Collingwood or Carlton if your an Essendon fan. This season apart from Friday night: I'd watch the Tigers, Freo, Pies, Hawks, Suns over most teams. In the end they're not your second team but the game itself takes that place and that doesnt include the interest generated in other teams due to the Dreamteam/Supercoach phenomen.
The_Wookie
Roar Guru
and when the finals come round, if you dont make it, its the team thats gone the longest without a premiership. Failing that, anyone but Collingwood.
The recalcitrant
Guest
The only way you can have second teams was if they played in a different league and never meet your primary love. It was common 20 years ago to have a VFL team(AFL now) and a Sunday team in the VFA. If you keep a 2nd favoured team, sooner or later this 2nd team will cross your primary team in a negative way making them impossible to like in any case. It's is like that if you are a real fan.
The_Wookie
Roar Guru
I never had a second team growing up. it was Carlton...and then nobody. When the Lions got in, as a Queenslander I am forced by the ties that bind all Queenslanders into state loyalty...at least for a second team. Now Lions/Gold Coast come a distant second to the mighty Blues, but second Victorian teams were never an option pre-AFL