Is it wrong to root for the other team?
Posted by cacophony in : Sport & Leisure , trackback 
Sporting allegiances tend to be set by your parents, where you grew up and who with, or by virtue of a star player at the time you were most excited by the sport.
I must have missed something. My parents are not great sports fans and I moved around too much as a kid to have a region-based team (or for that matter, any particular sport to follow) and my crush on Tony Modra (Adelaide Crows, early 1990s) faded as quickly as his chromium trading card lost value. (Aside: In retrospect, I should have held onto that card. It’s probably worth a lot of money now.)
Don’t get me wrong, I like sport. I just don’t support anyone in particular.
This makes me a particularly underdressed fairweather friend. I’m happy to go along with rabid fans of any persuasion and wear any scarf they want to lend me. Last weekend, I watched Geelong beat Collingwood at the MCG, wearing a singing Cats scarf to support my friend Greg. In the last few minutes, three goals up, the big Cats were playing very petty football. They had a couple of shots on goal but instead kicked the football back and forth, wasting time until the siren. It was a cheap way to win and it left me with a bad taste in my mouth. Greg, however, was rapt the Cats had slain the Magpies whichever way they could.
Which brings me to tonight’s Rugby game: New Zealand is playing Australia in Auckland. Even though I’m a proud Aussie and I’ve never even been to kiwiland, I’m going for the All Blacks because I think they play better. I go for them because they make the game great.
Does that make me unAustralian?
Your comments will not appear on the site until they have been approved
Comments»
Supporting a team is a good thing, supporting the right team is important, pleasing yourself is the right thing to do. Flaming kiwi lover… lol!
The Evil Overlord strikes again.
Yep, I reckon it makes you un Australian !! Is there no pride anymore???
I agree with you, but at the same time, if we all barrack for who was the best team who plays better than all the others rather than our home team, it’d be kinda weird. Sport wouldn’t be an infuriating, passionate competition, but rather an emotionless, logical showcase, of skill and expertise, with no loyalties and a crowd clapping politely out of reserved respect for who, as their many nods and murmurs of approval reveal, is the best team.
/super long sentence.
Still, I see your point - go for the team you want to win, otherwise it’s not much fun. And I have to admit… the All Blacks do have the most stylish dress sense!
Sorry, I drifted off reading your super long sentence…zzzzzzzz lol
When Essendon are playing I would never barrack for the other team, but I have a T shirt that reads: I support two teams, Essendon and whoever is playing against Carlton. So, may heaven help me, I have even barracked for Collingwood!
As an anti-kiwi since they caused Ansett to fold I was barracking for the Wallabies, but actually I can’t stand the game, didn’t even watch any when I was working at the G the night of the first game. It’s as boring as Soccer! Also I just cannot bring myself to support the Aussies in the cricket, except of course against the kiwis! The Aussie team has been so arrogant since the time of “Lillian Marsh” I just have no time for them!
Sorry I thought you were talking about something else!
Yes brian, maybe the word to use should be the good old Aussie barrack! Not this septic stuff we are getting foisted on us!
Mmm I am a fair-weather barracker too in some respects. I guess its just coz I’m not sports-mad. But I can get quite passionate if I’m actually at a game. And there are some teams I would never barrack for. I agree with grumpyoldman - the Aussie cricket team don’t deserve to be supported.