Why do we follow football clubs?

I hadn’t followed football until I was 12. 2010 world cup in South Africa was the first time I observed the fervor and frenzy of football and just how big the sport is. I distinctly remember South Africa, the supposed underdog, scoring the opening goal and the ever-articulate Peter Drury said ‘A goal for all of Africa’. I didn’t think of it much at the time, but I later realized it was a story of redemption, that Africa had never hosted a world cup, no African country had ever won the holy grail, and that African footballers migrate to Europe to have a career. That one goal from the unassuming left-foot of Tshabalala had an entire continent jumping for joy. It was then I realized the power of football, its more than just a game. And that is when it started.

I’ve often wondered why I follow Manchester United, why I stay up till 4 in the morning to watch 11 men – whom I don’t have any tangible affiliation with – kick a football, why a result on a Saturday can either spark or ruin my weekend, why I sing their songs, and why I’m inexplicably invested in this football club thousands of miles away.

I was brought up in Hyderabad, India. I have no familial connections with Manchester or England, which often is a major factor in choosing a football club. Sometimes I wonder if the fandom was because of my inherent need to associate with success, and Manchester United is the most successful club in England. However, the glory-hunter argument doesn’t fare too well when you look at the timeline I’ve been supporting Man Utd, they’ve hardly won anything. In fact, it has caused a great deal of pain. Perhaps it’s the hope I cling on to.

Other times, I consider myself a purist who’s been convinced by the history, traditions, values and mystique of this splendid club. The way they used to play football with style and precision or the incredible story of the 1958 Munich air disaster and how the club never gave in. These have been the constant conflicts in my head but through some literature study, I’ve arrived at a few probable factors as to why people tend to follow football clubs.

Friends or Family

Family and friends form one of the most important factors in an individual choosing a football club. Especially the homegrown fans, who at a very young age get taken to stadiums by their father, mother, grandfather, uncles etc. This gets ingrained in the kids and they only ever follow that club. Even if the kid doesn’t get the affiliation from the family, friends at school can also dictate the choice of football club either positively or negatively. This contributes to the socialization aspect of football fan culture, especially for people who support their hometown club.

Psychological factors

Psychological factors are inherent and have more to do with the individuals perceptions, feelings, values and beliefs. The identification with a football club arises from the need to be part of a community or achieve the sense of belonging. At the core, individuals either choose to support the successful teams to revel in the shared glory or they buck the trend and support an underdog or even an unsuccessful team to revel in the shared failure. The need for belonging is especially pertinent among the foreign consumers who love the sport and are desperate to be involved. The rise of social media has helped in this regard, turning fans from passive consumers into active creators.

Team-related factors

Factors such as attractiveness of a team’s play, performances, players involved, home stadium are commonly observed in the choices made by foreign consumers. The globalization of the game in the past 15 years with trans-national broadcast has really helped turn football players into global superstars who garner their own set of fans, cue Messi and Ronaldo. These set of fans tend to follow a football club only for the player and if the player moves to a different club, so do they.

All these factors are only stimulus to get started and once you do start following a football club, its not just a game anymore. It becomes a way of life, an integral part of your identity so much so that you spend money on purchasing merchandise to tell everybody around you what your football club is. It’s been proven to have an impact on the mental health of individuals depending on their teams performances. People derive psychological benefits, social connections, practice escapism and get lost in the chaos of all of it. Moreover, the game has a place for everybody, it can host angels and devils, geniuses and journeymen, boy-wonder and the veteran, favorites and underdogs. It is home to drama, stalemates, art, mistakes, ecstasy, tragedy, defiance and heart all in equal measures. After a certain point, football is no longer a choice, the consumer is consumed.