You’re probably expecting to read an article attacking Manchester City and Chelsea fans for ‘ruining’ football by supporting clubs on the pure basis of spending power and success.
Instead I’m going to debunk the constant criticisms levelled hypocritically at supporters of new comers to the elite world order of club football.
Essentially very close to all detached supporters of European football clubs are ‘glory hunters’. By detached I mean living in Australia with no geographical ties to the clubs that people ‘support’ and by ‘glory hunters’ I mean supporting a side only because they will be successful.
European football is unique in world sport for the free market that runs unobstructed by the constraints of a draft or salary cap.
Essentially the rich become richer by securing the best players for continued and improved income streams of prize money, television contracts and sponsorships. This creates a cycle in which competitions exist with internal chasms.
In the English Premier League there are a select group of clubs competing to win the title, realistically at season’s start it totalled three and is perhaps down to one three quarters of the way through.
This cycle is only realistically broken by the artificial enhancement of a clubs finances by people like Sheik Mansour or Roman Abramovich.
As you go down the table you notice the competitions inside a competition that pit sides in a battle for the economic boom that is fourth place and the Champions League, top half finish and inevitably the sides destined for relegation battles from the season’s onset.
Sports fans support sides for any number of reasons, because they live in or are from the area, because their favourite player plays or played there or because they were encouraged by an over exuberant parent keen to leave a permanent imprint of their child’s sporting preferences.
Ultimately detached sporting fans by definition can’t support a side of geographic importance to them, or they indeed wouldn’t be detached.
The conditions of European competition mean that your favourite player is infinitely more likely to star for the ladder leaders than cellar dwellers.
Evidently the absence of salary caps creates competitions that are incredibly uneven and largely predictable as opposed those sports in which a side’s fortunes ebbs and flows across seasons and playing talent is spread more evenly across sides.
And the conditions created above determine that the final option I have propositioned, that of family influence, is also unlikely to come from outside the sporting elite.
Largely the conditions today are the same as thirty years ago; a select few clubs dominate competition after competition.
A Manchester United or Liverpool ‘fan’ accusing a Chelsea or Manchester City ‘fan’ of being a ‘glory hunter’ is perhaps the most hypocritical insult in the sporting world. Everyone viewing from afar is drawn towards the most successful and financially powerful clubs.
Just like elite players aren’t flocking to Liverpool for the grand history of English football’s second most successful club, detached supporters won’t flock to the lovable underdog of Norwich City and Grant Holt.
The next time you open your mouth to deride a glory hunting friend at the unholy hour of two am at the local RSL club, think about what you’re saying and your own motivations.
Remember, no one likes a hypocrite.
bryan
Guest
The Liberal Party of Australia have never been what you call "classic liberals",which from context,I assume is more like what the Americans call "Libertarians". . Neither are they "small L" liberals,who are mainly interested in social equity. They are,in fact,old school Conservatives,as they have always been,though,more recently,overlaid with a veneer of Libertarian rhetoric. Since the 1980s when the ALP made a sudden lurch to the right,both sides of politics have been more "free-market" oriented than in the many years of their existence prior to that decade. Australia was governed by the Liberals in Coaltion with the Country Party for around 23 years straight in the 1950s to 1970s. In that time,there was little or no questioning of Public ownership of major utilites,such as the state SEC's;the PMG's dept ,etc,(all "evil Socialist" things). The belief that they were ever "classic liberals",& that "Socialism" is to blame for all the perceived. evils of society is due to simple ignorance of history.
Sky Blue
Guest
I've found plenty of them, I try to be as accomodating as possible. Sometimes I fly off the handle, like when a new fan was trying to tell me they hate Liverpool and Man United more than Tottenham and QPR.
Shaunvdl
Roar Rookie
The proof is not how you started supporting a club but for how long and with how much passion you continue to support your chosen club. Footballing success is cyclical for the most part so if you are able (like a marriage) to support your team in good times and bad then you are a true fan.
mahonjt
Guest
Or alternatively, one might follow an OS team because as a young boy it was the only top flight football on black and white television and your parents loved it and you grew to do to likewise. One could worry about what some people from Liverpool would make of this interest, or one could embrace the internet and associated international brotherhood who make me feel welcome and a part of something bigger. Finally, just to point out the absurdity of your narrow view, my favourite thing about the A-League is that it’s our league and my son and I enjoy it together in the same way my family and I did Liverpool in the 70's. He won’t ever be a Liverpool fan, and that is as it should be! The world is too complex for living a life of black and white. If you choose to do that – fine. But I live and love life in the grey!
nickoldschool
Roar Guru
Very fair call brisvegas. Nothing I don't agree with in your post.
HardcorePrawn
Roar Guru
To be fair to Golden Balls, he's not actually taking home a salary from PSG, all of his wages are instead being donated to a charity.
HardcorePrawn
Roar Guru
I couldn't say about NSL games, but you're right about them not going to A-League games, so I doubt they had much interest in the national league way back when either. A group of us went with one of the lads (the one who asked about the Premier League's "new" teams) to a Melbourne Victory ACL game though. He seemed to enjoy himself.
RB
Roar Rookie
I'm from the age group of the premier league following the NBA as the "in" thing.
pete4
Guest
Man Utd was purchased by the Glazers in a leveraged buyout around 7 years ago. They paid with money which was directly loaded onto the club. But even with that debt the club has become the 1st sports team with a $3B valuation Manchester United Becomes First Team Valued At $3 Billion http://www.forbes.com/sites/mikeozanian/2013/01/27/manchester-united-becomes-first-team-valued-at-3-billion/
Neuen
Roar Rookie
Which league have 5 or 6 clubs that can win the title? In every league there is always the big 4 no matter where you go. People are throwing a bandwagon argument due to suddenly a lot of City and Chelsea supporters have suddenly come out of the woodwork when their sides got money and could buy big names. That is pretty obvious. They did not had much to be excited about in the past or a lot to shout about. Now they do. Their sides have done what any other club would do and buy the best they can afford and as big as squad as possible. The main goal here is winning trophies and glory. Football is a business and names and success sell shirts and turn your business into a more profitable business. Also you have too look how different cultures support their own countries players. A lot of Africans like Nigerians will support Chelsea do to the affiliation it has with some of its players. Chelsea will never play their local team which they support first and foremost but it doesn't make them glory hunters just proud citizens supporting their countries players abroad. In South Africa I know there is more EPL games on tv than the local football so the first games youngsters see on tv is a Manchester United or a Liverpool or a Chelsea which they take liking to. So people look at it with the wrong perspective and most accusations are just basically part of football banter which the English are masters at. That is one of the reasons why they enjoy football and one thing I admire about them.
nickoldschool
Roar Guru
great post Mart
Seriously, Who says Oi?
Guest
College Football was wildly popular long before the sport had any professional ranks, so it's not "basically just a developmental league masquarading as a university comp".
Seriously, Who says Oi?
Guest
"even despite things like the draft, salary capping etc you still get powerhouse clubs in other sports. Green Bay packers have some bad years but are consistently successful… Cleveland browns, not so much." The difference is that, in the modern era(Superbowl era), the Packers have only been to 5 Super Bowls and won 4. That's 5 Super Bowl births in the last 47 seasons. It's not like there are any Manchester United types.
Dean Vincent
Guest
Adrian I'm stating facts mate based on their current situation. They're not in debt....its not what I think its a fact. there have been numerous articles in the British press about how well they are run. If you were talking about the likes of QPR you would have a point. Secondly, it's already happened to us in the 80s and 2003 when we were playing "pub" football which is why they are so financially stable now. There's plenty been written since the League Cup win on Saturday about the club. Try reading some before spouting such ill-informed dross.
Ben of Phnom Penh
Roar Guru
Depends on your age! I seem to recall Serie A being the end all and be all when I was a kid.
peeeko
Roar Guru
would you also suggest that David Beckham is being over paid by PSG? Surely his marketing ability just like those 2 athletes has distorted his value to PSG? Surely he is getting paid more than a lot of players that are better than he is now as a 37 yo?
peeeko
Roar Guru
agree simmo, been living in the US for the past 18 months and still cant wrap my head around the whole college sport thing. its absolutely huge here and i can understand students and alumni getting behind there team but as for teams like Alabama they are filling a void with the lack of a pro team in the state and its basically just a developmental league masquarading as a university comp
peeeko
Roar Guru
explain. i find Sheeks comments on this website normally very good across a wide range of sports?
peeeko
Roar Guru
its quite possible that they form their views by watching more than the 10 second highlights on the CH9 news.
Evan Askew
Guest
!@ Hardcore Prawn. Would I be correct in guessing that none of these Aussies regularly go to A league games? Would I also be correct in guessing that they never went to a NSL game?