Calling teams from abroad 'we' and 'us'

weldoninhio · 19-03-2018 05:44PM

Irish Guitarist wrote: »

I don't get this 'we' business. What is it about sport fans that makes them take credit for something someone else has done? It doesn't happen in any other form of entertainment. You wouldn't see a Pink Floyd fan talking about Dark Side Of The Moon as if they had been in the studio making the album alongside the band. Or you don't see someone watching Superman and bragging about how they beat Lex Luthor.

Football, like most team sports, is a tribal thing. You feel you belong and are a part of a club. It’s been fostered over many years, and you play against other teams/rivals. You don’t get that with bands or made up superheroes.

Kolido · 19-03-2018 05:46PM

Ipso wrote: »

The saddest part is the same people who fetish over English football teams then cram themselves over England getting defeated in tournaments.

There is a big difference between the England national team and an English club team.

If you're a Liverpool supporter for example, chances are you dislike Man Utd. Same an Irish supporter disliking the English team. Its called rivalry

Ipso · 19-03-2018 06:02PM

Kolido wrote: »

There is a big difference between the England national team and an English club team.

If you're a Liverpool supporter for example, chances are you dislike Man Utd. Same an Irish supporter disliking the English team. Its called rivalry

But what's the rivalry based on?
Someone I worked with, who was very into a premiership team and was anti GAA once mocked me and someone else when discussing a GAA game.
Here was someone who had absolutely no connection to the team/city it was based in, where the majority of the players have absolutely no connection to the city is mocking a sport where the players are actually from the area and the supporters are actually from the area.
It's not that I have a problem with people supporting premiership teams, but let's face it the main reason people support a given team is that they were the team who was winning when they decided to get into watching it.

Guy:Incognito · 19-03-2018 06:04PM

I don't, but who decides how much of a radius around your (presumably) house? you are allowed to support a team and use "us" or "we".

Someone in Drogheda supporting cork city and Liverpool is geographically closer to Liverpool. Can they say we about either, one or none?

dxhound2005 · 19-03-2018 06:16PM

Ipso wrote: »

But what's the rivalry based on?
Someone I worked with, who was very into a premiership team and was anti GAA once mocked me and someone else when discussing a GAA game.
Here was someone who had absolutely no connection to the team/city it was based in, where the majority of the players have absolutely no connection to the city is mocking a sport where the players are actually from the area and the supporters are actually from the area.
It's not that I have a problem with people supporting premiership teams, but let's face it the main reason people support a given team is that they were the team who was winning when they decided to get into watching it.

I think you might struggle to understand the popularity of English and Spanish clubs in China and Australia.

19-03-2018 06:23PM

Kolido wrote: »

There is a big difference between the England national team and an English club team.

If you're a Liverpool supporter for example, chances are you dislike Man Utd. Same an Irish supporter disliking the English team. Its called rivalry

So I was always mistaken? I thought is was called being on a bandwagon

gammygils · 19-03-2018 06:23PM

I refer to my lot as......
My Lot

Will I Am Not · 19-03-2018 06:27PM

I’m just surprised the b word hasn’t been used yet.

Kolido · 19-03-2018 06:38PM

Ipso wrote: »

But what's the rivalry based on?
Someone I worked with, who was very into a premiership team and was anti GAA once mocked me and someone else when discussing a GAA game.
Here was someone who had absolutely no connection to the team/city it was based in, where the majority of the players have absolutely no connection to the city is mocking a sport where the players are actually from the area and the supporters are actually from the area.
It's not that I have a problem with people supporting premiership teams, but let's face it the main reason people support a given team is that they were the team who was winning when they decided to get into watching it.

Yep in most cases people will start to support a team who is currently successfull or has a great history or in some cases a team who a friend or family member supports.
With regards to rivalry, it doesnt effect me so much as a Liverpool fan as it would local fans.

Hector Bellend · 19-03-2018 07:17PM

I'm an Aston Villa supporter from Dublin.

I've lived in Birmingham, have family in the area and was a season ticket holder at the club for almost 10 years.

I have a very real connection to the club and the area.

19-03-2018 07:33PM

Hector Bellend wrote: »

I'm an Aston Villa supporter from Dublin.

I've lived in Birmingham, have family in the area and was a season ticket holder at the club for almost 10 years.

I have a very real connection to the club and the area.

That's a real connection most definitely. I reckon you'd be very much in the minority with that though.

Can you imagine some chap from Louth supporting Kerry GAA and calling them we because they were the best or biggest team when he was growing up. He'd be ridiculed.

19-03-2018 07:33PM

Kolido wrote: »

I would use us/we when referring to Liverpool, I'm a fan, so why not? Where they are located is neither here nor there!

Well it's certainly not here!

Hector Bellend · 19-03-2018 07:48PM

Omackeral wrote: »

That's a real connection most definitely. I reckon you'd be very much in the minority with that though.

Can you imagine some chap from Louth supporting Kerry GAA and calling them we because they were the best or biggest team when he was growing up. He'd be ridiculed.

I heard dubs saying they were Munster supporters when they were winning European Cups. Then Leinster won it three time and they soon changed back

Achasanai · 19-03-2018 08:18PM

Omackeral wrote: »

That's a real connection most definitely. I reckon you'd be very much in the minority with that though.

Can you imagine some chap from Louth supporting Kerry GAA and calling them we because they were the best or biggest team when he was growing up. He'd be ridiculed.

It might not be prevalent in GAA or hurling, but there are definitely Munster supporters from Leinster and vice-versa. There's usually an incredibly convoluted reason for it, but it all comes down to who was successful when they started following the sport.

You see the same reasons being invented for why people support who they do in the UK, but it's often telling that you can judge the age of somebody by who they support. It's all based on who was successful when they started getting in to the sport. When I was in school, everyone bar one or two were Liverpool fans. There were very few Manchester Utd fans, and absolutely no Chelsea/Manchester City ones. The year above us were all Everton fans.

And it's not just Ireland either. I know a football fan from Wolverhampton who supports Arsenal.

This is pretty natural, particularly when you have the (physical) remove that we have here. Human nature to support success. The weird part is where people start inventing bizarre reasons for why they support who they do: Well, my dad supported West Ham, and I was a bit of divil when I was younger, so I decided to choose the one team he really hated. Not Milwall, as you might expect a West Ham fan to particularly hate, but Chelsea of course.

bobbysands81 · 19-03-2018 08:38PM

Ipso wrote: »

The saddest part is the same people who fetish over English football teams then cram themselves over England getting defeated in tournaments.

Can you explain why?

It’s a ridiculous analogy trotted out by the likes of the Indo in an opinion piece where they want to try and tell people how they should think about something.

Berserker · 19-03-2018 08:58PM

Achasanai wrote: »

It might not be prevalent in GAA or hurling, but there are definitely Munster supporters from Leinster and vice-versa. There's usually an incredibly convoluted reason for it, but it all comes down to who was successful when they started following the sport.

You see examples of it in GAA. The lad I sit beside in work is from Crumlin in Dublin. Big Dublin GAA fan, season ticket holder who goes to most of their games. He moved out to Kildare years ago but brings his young lad to every Dublin match and says he would never let his young lad or any of his children support Kildare in GAA. I have neighbours who are from Mayo and their children all support Mayo. Those children have probably only ever been to Mayo on holiday, if at all.

Ipso wrote: »

The saddest part is the same people who fetish over English football teams then cram themselves over England
getting defeated in tournaments.

Why? I am an England fan and I don't see the issue. They support a club team, Man United for example and an international team, the RoI. There are people in London, Manchester etc who will support their local team and also support the RoI because of family ties to the RoI or some other reason. I love hearing and seeing Irish fans getting excited when we lose and I chuckle when they 'don't care', they do deep down, when we win. Personally, I have no issue with the RoI team and I'll watch them play, if I am free. The RoI look upon England as their major rivals. It's that simple.

Achasanai · 19-03-2018 09:16PM

Berserker wrote: »

You see examples of it in GAA. The lad I sit beside in work is from Crumlin in Dublin. Big Dublin GAA fan, season ticket holder who goes to most of their games. He moved out to Kildare years ago but brings his young lad to every Dublin match and says he would never let his young lad or any of his children support Kildare in GAA. I have neighbours who are from Mayo and their children all support Mayo. Those children have probably only ever been to Mayo on holiday, if at all.

I'm sure there are examples, as there are with regards to Irish supporters of English (football) teams. The thing is, you rarely see the whole 'well, my da supported so-and-so, so I had no choice but to do same' when it comes to (say) Leeds United or one of the other big teams from back then. I'm not saying it doesn't happen, but the end result is usually supporting a successful team. The reasons for this come afterwards.

Calling teams from abroad 'we' and 'us'

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