Why supporting Manchester United is a soulless occupation.
Created | Updated Aug 11, 2003
Why supporting Manchester united is a soulless occupation.
In my opinion supporting a team such as Man U. is a thoroughly pointless and empty emotional experience, when compared to the emotional rollercoaster ride which most other football supporters experience from supporting their teams. I come from the position of being a Leeds united supporter of the past 16 years, and therefore have experienced my fair share (and then some), of ups and downs over the past few years. I’ve experienced the highs of winning the championship, of seeing new and exciting talents being brought into the club, of young talent being brought through the ranks, and of reaching the semi finals of the UEAFA cup, and the Champions league. There have also been many (well publicised), low points, such as crashing out of the FA cup to Cardiff City, seeing the club being plunged into an insane amount of debt, nearly being relegated, having a multitude of big name players sold and walk out on the club, and seeing dreams of greatness, which have been promised so many times, dashed once again.
Although saying this, I don’t think I would really want to change too much. For really any of the high points which crop up, through the years, is made that much more acute and meaningful, for all of the pain and hurt experienced during the low points. For the majority of Man Utd supporters, they have never had to experience any of the low points that have been described above. I admit that for the longer-term supporters of that club, they have experienced such things as relegation, and looking back further still, the truly terrible tragedy of the Busby babes, plane crash. But as the majority of their support was not even born, when they last were out of the top division, the deepest amount of sorrow that they have had to deal with, is not quite winning a championship, a few times.
I am sure that the majority of people who have loyally supported a football team through the majority of their lives will agree that what really makes the experience of supporting a team such an exciting one, is the not really knowing if this year will see great things happen, or if it will be disastrous. Every football supporter would of course want to see their team having more times than they do (even the Man U, supporters), but it is through the low points, that are loyalty for are chosen club, is either forged, or lost, and THAT above anything else is why the majority of Man United supporters are soulless, in comparison to the rest of us.
In my opinion supporting a team such as Man U. is a thoroughly pointless and empty emotional experience, when compared to the emotional rollercoaster ride which most other football supporters experience from supporting their teams. I come from the position of being a Leeds united supporter of the past 16 years, and therefore have experienced my fair share (and then some), of ups and downs over the past few years. I’ve experienced the highs of winning the championship, of seeing new and exciting talents being brought into the club, of young talent being brought through the ranks, and of reaching the semi finals of the UEAFA cup, and the Champions league. There have also been many (well publicised), low points, such as crashing out of the FA cup to Cardiff City, seeing the club being plunged into an insane amount of debt, nearly being relegated, having a multitude of big name players sold and walk out on the club, and seeing dreams of greatness, which have been promised so many times, dashed once again.
Although saying this, I don’t think I would really want to change too much. For really any of the high points which crop up, through the years, is made that much more acute and meaningful, for all of the pain and hurt experienced during the low points. For the majority of Man Utd supporters, they have never had to experience any of the low points that have been described above. I admit that for the longer-term supporters of that club, they have experienced such things as relegation, and looking back further still, the truly terrible tragedy of the Busby babes, plane crash. But as the majority of their support was not even born, when they last were out of the top division, the deepest amount of sorrow that they have had to deal with, is not quite winning a championship, a few times.
I am sure that the majority of people who have loyally supported a football team through the majority of their lives will agree that what really makes the experience of supporting a team such an exciting one, is the not really knowing if this year will see great things happen, or if it will be disastrous. Every football supporter would of course want to see their team having more times than they do (even the Man U, supporters), but it is through the low points, that are loyalty for are chosen club, is either forged, or lost, and THAT above anything else is why the majority of Man United supporters are soulless, in comparison to the rest of us.
