Football fervour

Communications Consultant

24 June 2010

Football fervour

Like almost everyone else I’m glued to the TV in spite of myself, watching matches between teams I know absolutely nothing about, in the hope of some on-pitch magic.

I’m not a committed football fan so it’s really interesting to me that people maintain their loyalty and support for a team (club or national) even when their performance is not very strong and could be much better.

There’s a really strong desire for a team to win, and a belief that – even in the face of evidence to the contrary – they will!

(The French supporters are the obvious exceptions here – they saw their team was rubbish, and let them know it.)

But there’s still a question there. Why doggedly keep backing something if it’s not very good? Why keep up the hope when frankly there’s not much to go on? Aren’t there better teams / causes / stars to support? And what’s it say about you if you’re loyal to losers?

Having a team to support is part of defining an identity. It’s about having heroes and enemies and a story to tell.

The other day I listened to someone relate a piece of research which measured the intensity with which spectators watch ice-skating couples perform. The researchers called this ‘fusion fascination’ – we love things in twos, which is why we tend to have a best mate, pair off, get married etc.

I think there’s more to it than that. With two (or more) people there’s the potential for drama. Drama is exciting, dynamic, gives meaning. It’s back to the story thing. We all need it in some way.

Plus, of course, support to anyone makes a difference. It’s part of the human contract. A team without fans is a weak team. You can’t be a leader without support. It can be hard to get through an average day without support.

Just as we have a fundamental human drive towards story, so everyone needs an audience. Even if we’re a bit crap.

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Beiberfever

popstar

29 June 2010

Facebook fusion

And is that not why we're all fused to the facebook team even if we haven't got much story to tell. At least the audience is massive and we're all winners!

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Football fervour

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Facebook fusion

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