Is there ever a reason to switch teams?

[si tacuisses]

Interesting...

One of my family members is an Essendon.... I'll use the word 'follower' for lack of a better word, and went from keeping up with the results and watching them when she could. To being so sick of the media and scandals that she just progressingly doesn't follow AFL at all. Having said that, she is hardly a passionate sport follower, but I was wondering if even the most passionate supporters have had their interest lowered.

If so: maybe they'll return now the blond destroyer has resigned?

 

[Severe]

If so: maybe they'll return now the blond destroyer has resigned?

I'm not sure. But your point was valid. Would it be acceptable to not just give up on caring about AFL, but actually CHANGE to another side because of the Essendon saga, would other teams respect it?

 

[krisholio14]

If a team moves or is formed in your city where previously there wasn't one, it's ok.

If you are under 12, it's ok.

If a close friend or family member is drafted and plays for a different team, that is just ok.

All other reasons......not ok.

There are three things I hate in sports with regards to supporters....changing teams when none of the above three points apply, supporting more than one team, or supporting players rather than a team. I can just handle people who watch the game and don't follow a team.

It's up to the individual of course, but there's one reason why I have no respect for any of the 'supporters' in the previous paragraph.

Part of the whole point of following a team in the first place is the ride. Like a roller coaster, you stay on it through all the ups and downs until the ride is over. People who don't have one team and stick to it may as well be jumping off the roller coaster mid ride. As someone said earlier, you cannot appreciate the dizzying heights if you haven't experienced the crushing lows.

Besides, your club needs your support the most when times are tough. It's not hard to find supporters crawling out of the woodwork when the team is flying.

 

[krisholio14]

I'm not sure. But your point was valid. Would it be acceptable to not just give up on caring about AFL, but actually CHANGE to another side because of the Essendon saga, would other teams respect it?

The club itself has to be bigger than the people entrusted to run it. Essendon will clean house and hopefully will find a better group of people to take them into the future,

 

[Tiger2709]

Comparing your club to Melbourne or Western bulldogs isn't a positive

Hes not comparing our club with the Dogs or Demons he's comparing the length of their Premiership droughts.

Many clubs have had droughts as big or bigger than Richmonds at times in their history's, your own, North took nearly 50 years to win a flag.

 

[i am a logo]

born and raised in melbourne amd never been to WA.

This.

I rooted for the Sydney Swans and Cats as a child when i first got into AFL, although i've been supporting the Eagles for nearly ten years now. Not because of West Australian pride or anything, but because i just really like the team

 

[bigfatcorn]

Loads of Dockers supporters were WCE supporters.

Probably regret their decision now to be a turncoat and are now stuck with a dogshit team.

 

[shaqsuns]

I was a die hard cats fan but growing up in Qld where football is hated by the masses it was easy for me to make the change to the Suns when they first started in 2011 it also helped I was a member of that team since 09 when they were playing under 18s and I had never been a member of a team before

 

[Brave Sir Robin]

You can do whatever you want. Supporting whichever you team you like is freedom of thought.

Of course, that comes with the recognition that certain people may not like it, and that success means so much more when you have seen and been there for the bad times as well as the good. Both of those things indicate to me that if it's something you wanted to do, well, it'll get easier with time.

 

[MagpieJo]

If a team moves or is formed in your city where previously there wasn't one, it's ok.

If you are under 12, it's ok.

If a close friend or family member is drafted and plays for a different team, that is just ok.

All other reasons......not ok.

There are three things I hate in sports with regards to supporters....changing teams when none of the above three points apply, supporting more than one team, or supporting players rather than a team. I can just handle people who watch the game and don't follow a team.

It's up to the individual of course, but there's one reason why I have no respect for any of the 'supporters' in the previous paragraph.

Part of the whole point of following a team in the first place is the ride. Like a roller coaster, you stay on it through all the ups and downs until the ride is over. People who don't have one team and stick to it may as well be jumping off the roller coaster mid ride. As someone said earlier, you cannot appreciate the dizzying heights if you haven't experienced the crushing lows.

Besides, your club needs your support the most when times are tough. It's not hard to find supporters crawling out of the woodwork when the team is flying.

Great post.

Though I'd struggle with the family member one!

My blood is black and white, I'd need at least one transfusion!

 

[Kavliaris69]

Most of my relatives were Pies and tried to make me a Pies fan. Bought me stuff, etc. But at around 5yo in the late 70's I remember watching a Hawks game and the 2 things that struck me. Tuck's 70mt torps and Peter Knights with his amazing marks that day. The footy card collection I had when completed that year had a photo on the back with Knights taking a mark when they were put together with the full set.

I was in awe and that was the moment I became a Hawks supporter and still am. My older brother was a Bomber and soon after he also jumped on the Hawks train. My dad followed and our younger sis we converted by the mid 80's. Older sis was and still remains a Pie.

We have never even considered changing.

 

[LightTower4]

Only if your team merges or goes under.

If the Melbourne Hawks happened I was going to switch to Essendon.

Same. Richmond.

 

[PieLebo87]

Once you've really tasted Collingwood, there's no turning back.

 

[rdhopkins2]

When is The Mistress of Turncoats choosing a new team. Surely due now?

 

[Marley10]

I wouldn't switch teams, but I was pretty close to giving up on footy this year after the Geelong loss. I was pretty fed up with the club, the WADA appeal, losing culture, Hird coming back and being backed by the club to see out his contract etc. I'm pretty busy so I felt as if I wouldn't give my time to a club run so poorly. Was going to stay away until they sacked Hird. Don't hate him, but felt as if we couldn't move on with him as coach.

With a new coach, a high draft pick and the saga finishing up, I'm really looking forward to the 2016 season as a normal club, even if we finish bottom 4 again.

 

[rumply]

If someone really feels the need to change, all the more power to them, just need to ask a mate of mine who in a shameless display of bandwagoning, changed from Hawks to the Blues in the early 80's.

So if you choose to do it, choose well as it appears the footy gods often don't have a sense of humour about that sort of shit...

 

[Brad Goodman]

Dad took me to my first Pies game when I was five, by six I was madly in love with them. Some are just more passionate about it than others.

 

[Merdel]

Everyone is free to do what they like, but I would imagine the feeling of success is much more euphoric when you have actually supported the team through the good and bad times.

And what a feeling it will be.................

 

[MWPP]

If a home grown (not relocated!) kiwi side joined, I'd wish them well and they'd become my distant second side (I support NZ in international sport), but still couldn't imagine ever abandoning my beloved Eagles . #truelove

 

[spinynorman]

A couple of months ago I met someone who had been a Geelong fan but then switched to Hawthorn a couple of seasons ago. Was one of the most blatant examples of success chasing that I've ever seen.

Sadly I was trying to pick up so wasn't really able to show my disgust.

 

[Halftimehero]

If you even have a thought of changing teams then you really weren't that invested in them in the first place, once a clubs in you, its in you. John Kennedy snr said he wanted Hawthorn to win those Grand Finals against Sydney despite his grandson playing for the Swans.

 

[RelaxMax]

Only if your team merges or goes under.

If the Melbourne Hawks happened I was going to switch to Essendon.

I was going to give up footy

 

[The King!]

I still remember the exact moment when I was able to finally confirm that most kids were bandwagoners and not just lucky to have happened to be a supporter of the teams that were always winning.. Up until then, I guess I thought it was coincidental, but had my suspicions..

I was always pretty used to the idea that there were West Coast, Carlton and Essendon supporters at school (i.e, teams who were winning premierships) - There always had been. Hell, at one stage one of the kids in my class was cousins with Chris Lewis, I think that inflated numbers..

But it was one day late winter / early spring of 1996, and some kid had the nerve to try to tell me that he was a Sydney supporter...

There was no ******* way in hell that kid was a Sydney supporter. No one went for Sydney, they finished bottom three years in a row not long before.... But as Sydney stormed to a GF, aided by Tony Lockett, some kid in the northern suburbs of Adelaide jumped on their bandwagon and finally confirmed to me that some kids do infact just pick the winning teams.....

So you had a go at this kid and cost us a membership? heck

 

[EssendonNick]

I've never been able to trust turncoats. If you can cheat on your footy team, you can cheat on your wife.

 

[AFLOnline]

I only know of 3 people that have been AFL turncoats.

I turned both my sister and girlfriend from Essendon and Brisbane respectively to the Saints, which I see no problem with.

Whereas my best mate went from being a childhood Adelaide supporter before switching to the Collingwood bandwagon circa 2010.

Might I add not a single day goes by where he doesn't get a mouthful from me the traitor turncoat ****. (Mind you his 2 teams have 2 flags to my teams zero during that time the clever little rascal )