Oh yes! It's that time again! Once every two years we all get to dress up in our national colours to support the national team. I'm talking of course about the European Championship football (it alternates between World and European Championship every 2 years). The 16 best countries of Europe had 2 matches each by now, and some of them may already even be out of the race. It is also the time when chauvinism reigns supreme. Everyone wants, bordering on the fanatic, their country to win, no matter how hopeless the odds are.
The same kind of fanaticism also works for practically any of the major football clubs. Again we dress up when an important match is going on, and we head off to watch the game. But even people at home watching the TV, dress up to express how badly they want 'their' team to win, while we know 100% sure that none of the players on the field who have to do the job will ever know about it. But that doesn't matter; we love those guys winning it for us.
And then it happens. The season is over, and the Transfer-market opens up. And the player that you loved so much, suddenly plays for the rival team in the next season. That traitor! All love immediately turns to hate, and we think, or worse, we WANT to believe that he is the worst player there is.
So what happened? The guy wears a different shirt, is all. And in all honesty, the current people playing for your club will be gone in a decade or so and a completely new team will have taken its place. So is it truly the team you are worshiping? And hating all the others? Again, no, not in the sense you'd expect anyways.
Your national team is most likely composed of people from many different, and rivaling clubs, scattered all over the world perhaps. And, people from your club, are coming out for a rivalling nation. So do you all of a sudden "hate" him now?
In the Clan-world, there are many hundreds of similar clans in whichever field you look at it (community, skilling, or warring), and still dozens within range of activity and style very similar to yours. Some choose to get along, but more often then not, especially when their members use a fan-site forum quite heavily, confrontations are bound to happen, and before you know it, you're in an all-out flame-war, and sides are being picked.
For players its easier to move from clan to clan, they are not bound by any rules on this, and they often look for greener pastures, especially when the clan in question is going downhill. But if a clan is good, and stable, they'll stick around, grow to love it, and root themselves there. And, going back on the previously sketched situation, feels the need to defend his clan in both word and deed when it's under attack. This person, now defending his own clan, and of course flaming the enemy clan, quite frequently knows little to nothing about them or the people who are in it. This shows great similarity when comparing this to the earlier established examples in football.
As the title says, it isn't the players or coaches or even the team as a whole we root for, but simply the flag, icon, name or ideal they all fight for. I hope you take this in realization that a clan, while united in their own thing, still has dozens of individuals, each with their own opinions and standards.
Note: The term "football" in this article refers to American soccer.
Did You Know...
...that the General Store north-west of Tai Bwo Wannai village un-notes Essence for 2gp each? Just use the noted Essence on the store-owner, pick an amount, and you're done. Note that you should NOT sell them noted and then buy them back, it will cost you dearly. (Thanks to the Tal Shiar Alliance!)
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