Glory Hunters and the Role of Television

A glory hunter could be described as a football fan that has associated themselves with a successful team for the self gratification of being able to say that their team is the best or similar. Such teams could be Liverpool, Manchester United or Manchester City. It is quite possible that such fans do not attend matches in person but are catered for by matches on television. The term "armchair supporter" has been used for such fans. The development of hate could occur for the associated teams, especially amongst supporters who attend matches or those that support a local team (considered a birth right).

Reasons to Hate Man Utd are Time Dependant

This slightly satirical article written in 2008; 10 reasons to hate manchester united contains reasons which are time dependent for example, the manager Alex Furguson, players such as Eric Cantana, Ronaldo and Gary Neville and the number of trophies won (in this case less European Cups than 5). In terms of understanding the reasons for hating Man Utd the case is put for 2008. It does however open up the debate if such time dependent reasons are still applicable (unlikely for people who where not born in 2008 but hate Manchester United now) or if the reasons evolve with time. Please share your thoughts in the comments section.

Fan or Supporter, What's the Difference and is it a Source of Hating a Football Team?

A supporter of a football team can be defined as a person who regularly attends football matches when their team is playing and thus provides financial support and support in terms of encouragement. A fan however, is a person who expresses allegiance to a team but does not actually attend any matches. A fan may follow a team remotely the most obvious method being television.

It could be argued that a supporter shows more commitment to their team than a fan. Teams with more fans than supporters could then become hated as a consequence, based on the idea that the opinion of fans is less credible than that of supporters. Fuelled by face to face and online discussions of matches between fans and supporters.

Lets consider geography and selected teams by way of example. Manchester United and Manchester City have large numbers of fans (people who do not attend matches but claim allegiance to these teams), such fans may live locally or anywhere in the world. Other teams local to Manchester who attract a higher ratio of supporters than fans, for example Oldham Athletic, Rochdale, Stockport County, Bolton Wanderers, Salford City, Wigan Athletic, FC United of Manchester, Altrincham and Blackburn Rovers may resent the opinion of fans of Manchester United and City, which leads to a source of hatred.

2 Reasons Away Fans Hate a Team

 1. Match day experience. Ticket price, view, facilities, covered / uncovered stand, catering quality, catering prices etc can all impact on an away day experience for fans and if poor, does this lead to a hatred of that team?

2. Travel. The ease of access to the away ground by public transport. Is the access to the ground hampered by poor transportation links? Has this lead to hating going to this ground and ultimately lead to hating this team?

Please share your thoughts via the comments.

Top 4 Reasons Why a Supporter May Hate Another Team

 The main reasons a supporter may start to hate another team:

4 Personal. A supporter may have personal reasons for hating another team, not shared by any others of the same club. For example when visiting another teams ground, having a bad experience like a poor quality pie leading to a uncomfortable journey home or an on-going football team based conversation over months or years between two work about their respective football teams. 

3 Frequency of a certain fixture. If two teams regularly meet over several seasons a rivalry can develop. This could be common amongst teams who routinely finish in the top half of the Premier League e.g. Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea. Unlike in other Leagues or Divisions their is no promotion meaning repeat fixtures reoccur season after season, potentially compounded with cup competitions.

2 Historical hatred. A hating of another team may be due to historical factors. For example when Leeds United popular in the 1970s they would have attracted haters due to their success or other fan's jealousy which has become engrained over time despite a fall in Leeds United's success. Indeed supporters of certain clubs perpetuate such hatred to new generations who were not born when the the hating started.

1 Local rivalry. Supporters of local teams are most likely to hate each other because of the banter which is inescapable in school, workplace or pub. The teams in question may regularly or rarely play each other but the "community effect" never goes away. For example Celtic and Rangers in Glasgow, or the close proximity of the City of Newcastle and City of Sunderland and their respective teams; Newcastle United and Sunderland. Similar local rivalry could be extended to international fixtures like between England and Scotland.