I come from a country where cricket is a religion. Oh wait, there is another way to say it now. I come from THE country whose cricket team are currently the World Champions. While cricket has been, still is and will be a big part of my life, I consider myself a bigger football fan than cricket fan. To be more specific I'm an Arsenal fan (those few souls who read this blog probably know by now). Until a few years ago, a lot of my friends looked at me like I was an alien when I said I supported a club team which I was in no way associated with geographically or otherwise. As the years rolled by a lot of the very same people are as passionate about their own chosen football club team.
My fascination for Arsenal started with the advent of cable television at home (I say home because it was only a few years after cable television entered India, before it became a standard norm in many Indian households like mine) and the fact that Arsenal were there or thereabouts when it came to winning championships. The English league was the most televised at the time (it still is) and I developed a taste for it, as I already had a deep inclination towards sports.
It is true though that the factors that influence the decision making process of which club to support are different for different individuals. For local football fans, geographical affiliations or 'ancestral pressure' (not sure I found the right phrase there; but you get what I mean) make it a straightforward choice as to which team they support. For some foreigners, when one of their favourite players from their country goes on to play for a foreign club, that can become a starting point for him/her to follow the player's new club.
My fascination for Arsenal started with the advent of cable television at home (I say home because it was only a few years after cable television entered India, before it became a standard norm in many Indian households like mine) and the fact that Arsenal were there or thereabouts when it came to winning championships. The English league was the most televised at the time (it still is) and I developed a taste for it, as I already had a deep inclination towards sports.
It is true though that the factors that influence the decision making process of which club to support are different for different individuals. For local football fans, geographical affiliations or 'ancestral pressure' (not sure I found the right phrase there; but you get what I mean) make it a straightforward choice as to which team they support. For some foreigners, when one of their favourite players from their country goes on to play for a foreign club, that can become a starting point for him/her to follow the player's new club.
We (a few Indian football enthusiasts) had a little discussion on the topic of why and how people choose specific teams to support, on the football group we have on Facebook. We all support different teams, mostly English teams; well mostly Manchester United. Considering that almost all of us on the group are of Indian origin, the question on my mind was, "Why do Manchester Utd fans outnumber the rest in our group?". The answer is one word and is straightforward - SUCCESS.
The success of a sports team is definitely one if not the biggest factor when it comes to choice of team. Even for fans who support a team based on say geographical affiliation, success or the lack of it, does make a deep impact (now the definition of success is another story altogether, its different for different clubs). This is not just a tall claim; I have evidence. In a study I conducted, I found on an Arsenal FC fan forum that in a thread that talked about the team's chances in the following season, 63% of the posts mentioned past winning teams or the names of players involved in those triumphs. Although failure to win cannot convince these fans to switch allegiance (called brand switching in the mainstream business world) to another club due the high level of emotional attachment they have with their club, their psyche can take a big blow. Therefore it comes as no surprise that Manchester United based on their tremendous success for well over a decade command undoubtedly the biggest fan base in a country whose own league is well.... never mind... let me not go into that.
This topic deserves further discussion, but it would be better to know what you think and it's probably one worth further discussion. So, when and why did you start supporting the club you support?
The success of a sports team is definitely one if not the biggest factor when it comes to choice of team. Even for fans who support a team based on say geographical affiliation, success or the lack of it, does make a deep impact (now the definition of success is another story altogether, its different for different clubs). This is not just a tall claim; I have evidence. In a study I conducted, I found on an Arsenal FC fan forum that in a thread that talked about the team's chances in the following season, 63% of the posts mentioned past winning teams or the names of players involved in those triumphs. Although failure to win cannot convince these fans to switch allegiance (called brand switching in the mainstream business world) to another club due the high level of emotional attachment they have with their club, their psyche can take a big blow. Therefore it comes as no surprise that Manchester United based on their tremendous success for well over a decade command undoubtedly the biggest fan base in a country whose own league is well.... never mind... let me not go into that.
This topic deserves further discussion, but it would be better to know what you think and it's probably one worth further discussion. So, when and why did you start supporting the club you support?
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