How did you choose your sporting team? Or did your sporting team choose you?
October 12th 2006 00:23
What makes us support a particular sporting team?
As I was down in Melbourne last weekend cheering on my red and white warriors, I wondered how I got to become such a Sydney Swans fanatic. I haven’t always been a Swans fan. In fact, when I first discovered AFL at about 8 years old, the Swans were still based in South Melbourne and I decided that I liked Essendon. This decision was based solely on the fact that I was going to go to a game while I was in Melbourne and I had the choice of going for blue and white kangaroos or red and black Bombers. I had never heard of AFL, I had never seen AFL, I had no idea what this game looked like. I only knew it by the not so flattering name of ‘aerial ping pong’ and wasn’t really expecting much of this particular form of football. Between Kangaroos and Bombers, the Bombers were the obviously way cooler option, and so I started supporting them. We never ended up going to that game as it was a sell out and we didn’t have any tickets.And so, despite never having seen a game and never actually knowing what AFL involved, I found myself a Bombers supporter.
A few years later the Swans moved to Sydney for their disastrous first few years up here and my father, lamenting the fact that I hated the league and refused to barrack for his beloved Sea Eagles, decided to introduce me to the Swans. I went out to the SCG for my first game and I loved it. I still believed that I was an Essendon fan and although I decided that I liked the Swans – I thought Warwick Capper was just fantastic – they weren’t my team. Over the years, I occasionally went and supported the Swans, but I never really avidly followed the AFL or any other winter sport. I was always a cricket girl and loved the long, lazy summer days that cricket always manages to provide.
Fast forward to about 1995 and I found myself sitting down at home watching Sydney play Essendon. I thought everything would be fine as I wouldn’t really care who won. Although Essendon were my first team, Sydney were my second so either result would be good for me. How wrong I was. That was the day that was to change my life, although I didn’t recognise it for what it was back then. That day, Sydney lost to Essendon and I was devastated. Not just upset, not just annoyed. Devastated. That was the day I realised I was a Sydney Swans fan, that my loyalty had slowly shifted as I began to understand the game better and as my loyalty to my home town became more important than a random choice made by an ill-informed 8 year old.
Now, I am a member of the club, I have been to the 2005 and 2006 grand finals in Melbourne and I have cheered myself hoarse and clutched my palpitating heart with my shaking hands as the two grand finals were decided by less than a goal each. 2005 went my way – celebration! 2006 didn’t – devastation.
How did this transformation begin and how did I not notice it even happening? From an occasional watcher of the game I now have missed only a couple of games in over four years. I was part of the Roos revolution. I wondered why Barry Hall was moved to Sydney but I am now firmly established as one of his biggest fans – yes, even after the grand final. I eagerly await trade week and check the injury list after every game. My wardrobe consists of so much red and white it’s insane – I hate wearing white, especially when I’m eating meat pies and drinking beer and liable to drop these all over my sparkling white clothes in my excitement at a goal, but I do it for my boys. As I’m typing away at my computer I can see the Swans sticker that I’ve stuck on the laptop. When I go to my fridge there’s a plethora of Swans stickers and pictures of Michael O’Loughlin celebrating a goal, Barry Hall escaping a grasping Alistair Nicholson, Craig Bolton looking determined. I even have Adam Schneider’s autograph, given to me by my ever-thoughtful sister-in-law.
And it’s not just the Swans I love. I’ve become such a devotee of AFL that I watch any game that’s on television. If I’m in Melbourne or Brisbane and there’s a game on, I’ll go out and watch it, whoever’s playing. In fact, I so enjoy watching the game when I don’t really care about who wins - it’s quite a relaxing experience. Although, in all honesty, I do still care. I always know what outcome is going to be the best for the Swans and so I’ll barrack for the team whose win will be the most beneficial for our standing on the ladder. Even if it means going for Collingwood (may the AFL gods forgive me).
I didn’t choose the Swans, they seem to have chosen me. They’ve crept up on me over the years and now I’m firmly in their hold. I don’t know how I survived without them for so many years, and I’m pleased I don’t have to wander through an AFL free wilderness any longer.
I don’t like the Rugby League very much, but if asked I’ll say I go for the Roosters. The reason? When I was asked by my dad what team I liked (he would have loved me to go for the Sea Eagles, but I just didn’t really like them very much) I told him that since my room was red, white and blue I was going to go for the Roosters because their jerseys were red, white and blue. Now, I couldn’t care less. I was pleased when they won the grand final a few years back – I can’t even remember when it was – but I was more pleased when the Tigers won last year. My brother is absolutely fanatical about the Tigers and I was just pleased to see him finally win. At least I can be concrete about the fact that I’ll always go for NSW in the State of Origin. That’s a complete no-brainer for me.
A lot of people decide their teams by who their familes support. Not my family. My dad and one of my sisters are Sea Eagles fans – we grew up overlooking Brookvale Oval, so the decision there is obvious – my brother goes for the Tigers, my mum and my other sister couldn’t care less, and I still have the feeling that because I chose the Roosters all those years ago then I should still go for them. My family all go for the Swans because we’re a Sydney family and in a one team town I think the choice is a lot easier. But I do know a lot of fellow Sydneysiders who hate the Swans and would even prefer to go for Collingwood than show any support for their home town team. When it comes to the League, I know people who grew up in Balmain who support Parramatta; from Brookvale who support the Tigers; from Penrith who support the Broncos.
And as for the AFL, I met a Carlton supporter over the grand final weekend who was there cheering for West Coast because he’s a Perth boy, but still doesn’t support them as his main team. I know people from Brisbane who support Essendon; from Essendon who support the Kangaroos; from Richmond who support the Swans; from Perth who support Port Adelaide; from Collingwood who support, well, Collingwood. And when it comes to Adelaide and Perth, with two home teams to choose from, how are those choices made? Crows or Port? Freo or Weagles? Or, like the Carlton fan I met last weekend, one of the Melbourne teams?
Your team defines you. When they win, you win. When they lose, you lose. Their fortunes can sway your mood. We talk about them by their first names or nicknames. My fellow Swans fans and I throw Magic, Rhino, Monty, The Hyphenator, Leaping Leo into our conversation as though they’re old mates. My birthday falls in mid-September and I don’t make any plans until I know when Sydney’s final games will be played. Given their successes in recent years, I’ve started having my celebrations in the last week of the round of 22 because I know what Sydney will be doing and don’t have to leave anything to chance.
And so the question really intrigues me: How do people choose their teams? Or do those teams simply choose them?
As I was down in Melbourne last weekend cheering on my red and white warriors, I wondered how I got to become such a Sydney Swans fanatic. I haven’t always been a Swans fan. In fact, when I first discovered AFL at about 8 years old, the Swans were still based in South Melbourne and I decided that I liked Essendon. This decision was based solely on the fact that I was going to go to a game while I was in Melbourne and I had the choice of going for blue and white kangaroos or red and black Bombers. I had never heard of AFL, I had never seen AFL, I had no idea what this game looked like. I only knew it by the not so flattering name of ‘aerial ping pong’ and wasn’t really expecting much of this particular form of football. Between Kangaroos and Bombers, the Bombers were the obviously way cooler option, and so I started supporting them. We never ended up going to that game as it was a sell out and we didn’t have any tickets.And so, despite never having seen a game and never actually knowing what AFL involved, I found myself a Bombers supporter.
A few years later the Swans moved to Sydney for their disastrous first few years up here and my father, lamenting the fact that I hated the league and refused to barrack for his beloved Sea Eagles, decided to introduce me to the Swans. I went out to the SCG for my first game and I loved it. I still believed that I was an Essendon fan and although I decided that I liked the Swans – I thought Warwick Capper was just fantastic – they weren’t my team. Over the years, I occasionally went and supported the Swans, but I never really avidly followed the AFL or any other winter sport. I was always a cricket girl and loved the long, lazy summer days that cricket always manages to provide.
Fast forward to about 1995 and I found myself sitting down at home watching Sydney play Essendon. I thought everything would be fine as I wouldn’t really care who won. Although Essendon were my first team, Sydney were my second so either result would be good for me. How wrong I was. That was the day that was to change my life, although I didn’t recognise it for what it was back then. That day, Sydney lost to Essendon and I was devastated. Not just upset, not just annoyed. Devastated. That was the day I realised I was a Sydney Swans fan, that my loyalty had slowly shifted as I began to understand the game better and as my loyalty to my home town became more important than a random choice made by an ill-informed 8 year old.
Now, I am a member of the club, I have been to the 2005 and 2006 grand finals in Melbourne and I have cheered myself hoarse and clutched my palpitating heart with my shaking hands as the two grand finals were decided by less than a goal each. 2005 went my way – celebration! 2006 didn’t – devastation.
How did this transformation begin and how did I not notice it even happening? From an occasional watcher of the game I now have missed only a couple of games in over four years. I was part of the Roos revolution. I wondered why Barry Hall was moved to Sydney but I am now firmly established as one of his biggest fans – yes, even after the grand final. I eagerly await trade week and check the injury list after every game. My wardrobe consists of so much red and white it’s insane – I hate wearing white, especially when I’m eating meat pies and drinking beer and liable to drop these all over my sparkling white clothes in my excitement at a goal, but I do it for my boys. As I’m typing away at my computer I can see the Swans sticker that I’ve stuck on the laptop. When I go to my fridge there’s a plethora of Swans stickers and pictures of Michael O’Loughlin celebrating a goal, Barry Hall escaping a grasping Alistair Nicholson, Craig Bolton looking determined. I even have Adam Schneider’s autograph, given to me by my ever-thoughtful sister-in-law.
And it’s not just the Swans I love. I’ve become such a devotee of AFL that I watch any game that’s on television. If I’m in Melbourne or Brisbane and there’s a game on, I’ll go out and watch it, whoever’s playing. In fact, I so enjoy watching the game when I don’t really care about who wins - it’s quite a relaxing experience. Although, in all honesty, I do still care. I always know what outcome is going to be the best for the Swans and so I’ll barrack for the team whose win will be the most beneficial for our standing on the ladder. Even if it means going for Collingwood (may the AFL gods forgive me).
I didn’t choose the Swans, they seem to have chosen me. They’ve crept up on me over the years and now I’m firmly in their hold. I don’t know how I survived without them for so many years, and I’m pleased I don’t have to wander through an AFL free wilderness any longer.
I don’t like the Rugby League very much, but if asked I’ll say I go for the Roosters. The reason? When I was asked by my dad what team I liked (he would have loved me to go for the Sea Eagles, but I just didn’t really like them very much) I told him that since my room was red, white and blue I was going to go for the Roosters because their jerseys were red, white and blue. Now, I couldn’t care less. I was pleased when they won the grand final a few years back – I can’t even remember when it was – but I was more pleased when the Tigers won last year. My brother is absolutely fanatical about the Tigers and I was just pleased to see him finally win. At least I can be concrete about the fact that I’ll always go for NSW in the State of Origin. That’s a complete no-brainer for me.
A lot of people decide their teams by who their familes support. Not my family. My dad and one of my sisters are Sea Eagles fans – we grew up overlooking Brookvale Oval, so the decision there is obvious – my brother goes for the Tigers, my mum and my other sister couldn’t care less, and I still have the feeling that because I chose the Roosters all those years ago then I should still go for them. My family all go for the Swans because we’re a Sydney family and in a one team town I think the choice is a lot easier. But I do know a lot of fellow Sydneysiders who hate the Swans and would even prefer to go for Collingwood than show any support for their home town team. When it comes to the League, I know people who grew up in Balmain who support Parramatta; from Brookvale who support the Tigers; from Penrith who support the Broncos.
And as for the AFL, I met a Carlton supporter over the grand final weekend who was there cheering for West Coast because he’s a Perth boy, but still doesn’t support them as his main team. I know people from Brisbane who support Essendon; from Essendon who support the Kangaroos; from Richmond who support the Swans; from Perth who support Port Adelaide; from Collingwood who support, well, Collingwood. And when it comes to Adelaide and Perth, with two home teams to choose from, how are those choices made? Crows or Port? Freo or Weagles? Or, like the Carlton fan I met last weekend, one of the Melbourne teams?
Your team defines you. When they win, you win. When they lose, you lose. Their fortunes can sway your mood. We talk about them by their first names or nicknames. My fellow Swans fans and I throw Magic, Rhino, Monty, The Hyphenator, Leaping Leo into our conversation as though they’re old mates. My birthday falls in mid-September and I don’t make any plans until I know when Sydney’s final games will be played. Given their successes in recent years, I’ve started having my celebrations in the last week of the round of 22 because I know what Sydney will be doing and don’t have to leave anything to chance.
And so the question really intrigues me: How do people choose their teams? Or do those teams simply choose them?
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Comment by Ian
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I know some people change who they barrack for, but I think Peter Brock summed it up when he said "Some people say to me that they used to be a Holden fan but now they're a Ford fan, well the answer to that is - you never were a Holden fan." If you truly support one team you can never change, that's why I feel sorry for all the old Fitzroy supporters who are now in limbo, they sort of care if Brisbane wins but it's not the same.
I'm a West Coast supporter myself. How did I become one? Well the Eagles joined the competition when I was 7, which happened to be the same time I started paying attention to football or sport in general. I lived in country WA and the Eagles were a team representing us taking on the arrogant Victorians, no longer would all our best players be poached by the Melbourne teams, but instead they would take them on.
I've been a die hard fan ever since, I know WA got a second team in 1995 but by then it was far too late, the Eagles were in my blood. Even when I lived in Melbourne for 8 years I supported the Eagles just the same. When they lost last year's Grand Final I did my best to block it out and pretend it never happened, this year on the other hand - well I'm still in a good mood.
Like you I'm a big fan of AFL in general, I take my tipping very seriously and watch most games cheering for however I tipped. I'm glad there are people like you in NSW supporting the Swans and the AFL, they Swans have grown a lot since the early days and I hope the AFL's profile will continue to grow in the two Rugby states.
Comment by KarenC
Genghis Gal
I hope you continue the good mood from the grand final - I was floating last year for weeks. And I will never get sick of that Leo Barry mark! I'm looking forward to a few more years of the fantastic games that West Coast and Sydney have been putting on over the last few years.
Comment by coolscorpio
Health Zeal
Comment by Stanley
my love affair with the doggies grew from there more or less.
Comment by KarenC
Genghis Gal
You must be a very happy Doggies fan at the moment .. in a few years I reckon you'll be celebrating at Punt Rd in September the absolutely brilliant way they're going now ...