Round 1 of AFL has arrived, and with it the chance for fans to barrack for their teams. But what, specifically, are we referring to when we say “Carn the Blues” or “Go you Cats”?
What are these “Blues” and “Cats”? They are symbols. But what do they signify for the fan?
The fan does not affiliate with the thing the team is named after. Brisbane’s Bears became the Lions. Few deserted them – except, possibly, fans with lion phobias.
Nor do fans identify with the qualities of the thing.
Regardless of what the fans say, they don’t support the Bulldogs because bulldogs are gritty. Nor do the Dockers players actually work on the harbour.
Granted, if the Tigers record a healthy win, the headline might run “Tigers maul Dockers”. But, we don’t literally believe that some tigers escaped from a cage and mauled some harbour-side workers.
God-loving and fearing Joseph Gutnick worships the Demons not demons, while league fans don’t go Rabbitohs games expecting to buy bunny meat and fur.
The fan does not adhere to a place ether.
The Swans can move from South Melbourne to Sydney, the Western Bulldogs came from Footscray. Collingwood does not train or play in the suburb, and I don’t think many of the players reside locally.
Increasingly, supporters do not either.
Nor is the fan’s loyalty confined to a football team of 21-plus players and coaching staff. Even after the entire team has retired or been transferred, fans still support the Tigers.
In fact, the fans often have to remind players, coaches and others in the club that they are expendable. They just serve the greater thing which we support and love.
So what is this greater thing? Every simple possibility seems exhausted.
Totem and Clan
Let’s turn to a creator of modern sociology. French sociologist Emile Durkheim gets his answer from studying early anthropological reports about totemism in Central Australia.
Among ‘tribes’ like the Aranda or Warlpiri, social organisation is based around the clan. Members of, say, the Kangaroo clan, are related by having the same name and all are designated by a totem.
What is the totem?
Firstly, it is a group of people. If you bear the name kangaroo, you are part of the kangaroo clan, and have special relationships with rights and responsibilities to other clan members.
These are people descended from the kangaroo ancestor; a superhuman shape-changing man who lived in the Dreamtime.
Secondly, it is a word like ‘kangaroo’. If this was a clan, Durkheim thought members would be forbidden from even saying the name ‘kangaroo’.
Thirdly, it is the ‘thing’. It could be the animal, the actual kangaroo which hops around out there.
Again, clan members should not eat these.
Fourthly, it is a symbol or representation of the animal. A picture of a kangaroo might be found on a bullroarer.
This is a piece of wood or stone that, when attached to the end of a string and whirled around, makes a loud noise. This is very sacred.
In fact, all four things are sacred. And they are sacred because of the totemic principle; an anonymous force found in greater degrees in the totem (name, animal, the people and symbol).
In this example, we could call the totemic principle ‘kangaroo-ness’. Durkheim contended that people are not worshipping kangaroos; kangaroos are merely a symbol of the clan.
By worshipping the kangaroo, the clan is, in effect, worshipping itself.
Club and Fan
Turning to AFL, Durkheim would put it like this – a North Melbourne fan supports ‘kangaroo-ness’.
What is this kangaroo-ness? It does not at all adhere in physical qualities of hopping with long tail and eating grass; it bears no relation to kangaroos.
Rather, kangaroo-ness constitutes abstract quality.
It inheres in the club, players and support staff. It also adheres in the symbols: in the blue and white jumper and all such paraphernalia, the kangaroo shape and the song.
It also partly resides in the place, North Melbourne.
Thus when you support the Carlton Blues, you are supporting a name (Carlton Blues); the thing (the club that trains at Princes Park); a symbol (a letter “C” emblazoned on navy blue) and people (supporters and players).
The totemic principle ‘blue-ness’ resides in all.
Importantly, the supporters also believe it resides in them. And this belief, Durkheim argued, created a sense of social solidarity that was crucial for social interaction.
So there you have it. A Blues fan supports a ‘blue-ness’ that resides in everything associated with the club including, most importantly, the supporters.
It sounds clunky, but given the lack of a better explanation, I think we are forced to accept it.
Ironmongery
Guest
Interesting article that was bound to stir a few people up. It made my think about what it is to be a Swans fan. I look around the non members on a sunny Sunday afternoon at the SCG and see a young crowd that have newly embraced the game. They are vibrant, not caught up in the minutiae of the players' lives like the other states especially Vic, but love the game for what it is. They are also the best looking crowd you will get at any home game. We spill out onto the street, not too concerned about the result of the game but excited by the fact we live in such a great city that is at once historical and cosmopolitan. Ours surroundings tell us so. This also might explain why I hate going to Homebush for home games because for me in destroys the essence of why I feel like a Swannie.
SteveOL
Roar Pro
If I was Krusty the Clown, I'd be looking at the camera with a dart hanging from my bottom lip screaming, "What the hell was that!?!" You barrack for a club because your old man did and you were given no choice or your aunty talked you around when you were a little kid or you jumped on because your state just got a new club and you didn't follow an AFL team so it was handy or you're new to the country so you hopped on the previous year's runner-up so you can join in the conversation at work and so on and so forth. I'd be a happy Hawthorn supporter rather than a frustrated lifelong Collingwood man if my dear old Grandmother had have pulled rank 39 years ago. And you don't change clubs because to do so is as weak as P155, not to mention un-Australian. Being a footy fan is something similar to owning a Harley. "If I have to explain, you don't understand." It's like having to explain why you love your kids - you just do. 'Magpie-ness' my arse.
Floreat Pica
Guest
The more important factor that you are dismissing (seemingly through oversight) is socio-cultural bias from 'family' tradition. For the majority of those born into an established barracking culture, this is largely dictated by familiar grouping, not random preference for a 'totum'. Thus supporters of established clubs come to them already with pre-determined cultrual bias and are effected by nurture as much as nature. In short, its called history. The largely marketting side of the 'totems' you refer to can have an effect, especially for newly established teams/groups, but it has less of a role than organic cultural bias does in determining the symbolism of a traditional club.
bryan
Guest
"Secondly, it is a word like ‘kangaroo’. If this was a clan, Durkheim thought members would be forbidden from even saying the name ‘kangaroo’" I think Durkheim is applying Judeo-Christian thinking here----I don't think Aboriginal people have such prohibitions. Then again, I'm not Aboriginal,so someone who is,may be able to correct me. The symbol thing isn't just involved with footy teams----The British Lion is a long lived symbol,but I'm sure Brits don't run around the veldt pulling down Antelopes. Then there are team names which refer to abstract concepts,such as the Perth Glory in the "A" League.
Floyd Calhoun
Guest
Emile Durkheim and footy in the same article. And they said it would never happen!!
Tim Ratcliffe
Guest
I really enjoyed the article. Being a foreign fan of the game, I somehow became a Roos fan. On our recent vacation to Australia, which included a couple of days in Melbourne, I found myself making the pilgrimage to Arden Street. The gentleman in the Roo Shop was great to talk to and I felt right at home. Our last stop was Hobart, after getting lost and making my way into a small pub to ask directions, I discovered the bartender was a fellow Roo. Another great conversation and he was more than willing to help a lost American who happened to share a connection through “kangaroo-ness”.
Walter Penninger
Roar Guru
Not without merit.
Walter Penninger
Roar Guru
Nicholas, you have got off easily here, the comments on my article want me deported and as far as I know I was born here. There is very little research on what makes a fan, more on what makes a football hooligan but they are not totally unrelated. Try googling.
Gecko
Guest
Nicholas you started with an interesting question.Your answer is not so clear, but if I've correctly interpreted it, you're saying the main reason for barracking for a club is social solidarity. I live outside Australia and there's no social solidarity up here for Pies supporters, yet I still support the Pies. Maybe some barrackers stick with a team because it gives them some consistency while much of the rest of their lives changes around them. Maybe barracking means different things for different people.
Josh
Expert
Good read mate. Don't worry about the negative comments, I found it interesting. It's very true that being a North fan, while I do think of our team as the Roos or Rooboys, I don't really associate our team with the literal Kangaroo. The fact that we have blue and white as our colours further separates it from this. But I do tend to think of a number of attributes that signify what our team is all about - like good sportsmanship, hardwork, courage, perseverance. And wherever these attributes are I see "kangaroo-ness".
Swampy
Guest
This is the most pretentious rubbish I have ever read on a sports blog. If this is an audition piece for a spot writing commentary articles for The Guardian you may do well. Please do not submit an article again. -- Comment from The Roar's iPhone app.
alicesprings
Guest
Just a little correction…the traditional owners of the land up here are the Arrernte(pronounced Aranda) people, not Aranda. If someone wants a challenge its meant to be one of the hardest languages out there to learn. Either way love the references to central australia as someone who lives in Alice, Arrernte country. They sure love their footy up here! I could be wrong but id be very surprised if we didn't have the highest participation rate of any region in the country. So many local teams its not funny.
Walter Penninger
Roar Guru
I think you are onto something here, namely why are fans fans? I have written a not dissimilar article today relating to NRL: http://www.theroar.com.au/2014/03/15/is-the-nrls-tribal-warfare-over/ But although much of the article has been criticised I did not pick on lions.
Slane
Guest
He's not over-complicating tribalism as you call it. He is exploring it. Teasing out what it means to be a member and asking us to examine what exactly we are barracking for.
Gyfox
Guest
What a strange article! I follow my team because it is where I grew up. I joined as a member (before it guaranteed a seat) when I turned 18 - simply because it was my Club. The colours & emblem are part of my DNA. I now sit with people I went to the footy with 35 years ago. Is that tribalism - or just passion?
Paul from Brizzy
Guest
I would have to say as a 55 year old man ,who has followed VFL/AFL my whole life that your article WAS the most CRAP I have ever read , leave the AFL reports to the real reporters.
Strummer Jones
Guest
I think you mean tribalism, which you're trying to over complicate by using snippets from your current university studies.