I think most of us here and most people outside of Europe/traditional footballing countries have something in common - we actually get to choose the teams we want to support. For me, it was one of the first teams I saw on TV (pre-Astro and even pre-MegaTV!). It was Man Utd and I think I was probably 10/11 years old. Simple, huh? I sometimes wonder if they had shown a Liverpool or Sheffield Wednesday match that day, which team would I have been behind for the past 16 years. Then again, about a year later Cantona launched an infamous kung-fu kick and I knew that I was a red devil for life.

I'm sure other people have different stories - some people start to follow/support teams that their friends do. Some people were given a jersey as a gift and it goes on from there. This bring up the OP's question then:

Just because we are not from the team's geographical area, does this mean we are less loyal, or less enthusiastic than the local boys?

Judging from the rivalry between Liverpool and Manchester United fans on LYN alone, no one can say that we aren't as rabid as the people in the terraces at Anfield or Old Trafford, so enthusiasm is a definite match.

Loyalty? With no geographical ties, the only one we have to the team are emotional ones. Some people can shed those easily, while those invested in a team - they've studied the history, appreciate the current team, value the experience of following a certain team through the ups and downs - can't let go that easily.

There are those who simply use a team as part of a social group - they're invested in the name only. So if in high school, all his/her friends are Chelsea fans, they become Chelsea fans. When they move on to college, the people they hang out with are Liverpool supporters, so they follow Liverpool's results. Maybe later in the workplace he's overshadowed by people who follow Man Utd... you know how the story goes at this point.

Those of us who put in the time to know everything about a certain team. I remember collecting magazines like Shoot, four-four-two to keep up with Man Utd (man, the days before the internet!) and just soaking up whatever info I could from older people, even those who supported other teams - that's how you learn about rivalries, enemies and favourite teams to play against. So for me, United has been a part of growing up and it's definitely a big part of my life.

The latter are the ones that won't ever shed their team. It's part of their lives and you can't just discard it easily.

EDIT: wow that turned into a long post! Sorry!

This post has been edited by monosyllabic: Apr 9 2009, 10:36 PM

Woah... dad a Liverpool fan and you're a United fan? Salute! Can't imagine what it's like at your house when United play Liverpool! The teasing must be merciless!