viernes, 26 de febrero de 2010

Soccer Fans Remain Passionate, Even Among Losing Clubs.




There are few sports in which fans are more passionate and loyal to their teams, similar to the fans of American football with the sale of team uniforms and other merchandise being big business in many other countries. There are some soccer fans who dedicate their days, as well as nights traveling to watch their favorite teams play and cheer them on.
There are many online forums designed specifically for soccer fans from different countries, making a sport a truly international competition, which grew recently with the purchase of the Manchester United soccer team by the owner of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. This purchase has sparked a lot of criticism by soccer fans in England, who claim the team’s new owner has no interest in the game, and is only interested in the profit potential of one of the most popular and successful teams in the world.
When soccer was first established in England in the 1800’s, it was considered a gentleman’s game of the upper class with time on their hands and its concept of teamwork and sportsmanship made the sport popular among soccer fans. In the 1900’s it quickly spread throughout the world, becoming one of the fastest growing international sports known.
Lack Of Entertainment Spurs Vicious Rivalries
In other sports, such as American football and baseball, the goal of the teams is to provide entertainment for the fans. With cheerleaders, mascots and game-time entertainment used to draw fans to the games. Organized player drafts, revenue distribution and salary caps help keep teams more evenly matched. In most countries, soccer fans are not treated to such evenly matched teams. Those in large profitable markets field the better teams with no salary cap and no redistribution of income.
Also in England, individual players are not sent down to the minor leagues if their play fails to excite soccer fans with winning records. At the end of every season the three worst teams are relegated to a lower level in the league and the three best teams in the lower level take their place in the premier league.
For many soccer fans in small markets, their hopes of a championship are often misplaced and their best dream is to have their favorite team either promoted to a more prominent place in the league or at worst, not having the team demoted to a lower classification. They become passionate about their teams and anything or anybody seen as a roadblock to their team’s success is considered an enemy.

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