I Pledge Allegiance To....Anyone

One of the greatest mysteries of this world has nothing to do with black holes or the undiscovered creatures of the ocean. Its a lot closer to home actually and lies with that horrible sport of football. (Okay it can be any sport but its more prevelent in the game our American cousins like to call 'soccer'.) Football teams to be precise and why people who were not born in say Manchester support that particular team? Why do Welsh people support a team from England? Why do they wear the colours? And why do I care? Well that ones easy - because its annoying!
And I know it shouldn't bother me what other people do and who they support. They're free to support whoever they like and thats quite right, they are. Same as im free to whine like a brat on my own slice of teh interwebz.
Swansea is the nearest 'big' football club to people in Carmarthenshire, yet every day all I see are Chelsea or Manchester United jerseys. Why?? You have no connection with either place if you were not born there so you CANNOT POSSIBLY feel the same emotions when you win or lose that people who were born/live there feel. And I know this to be true because I used to 'support' the Colorado Avalanche ice hockey team but it was an empty support so I quit.


real Scarlet runs in my blood

The only sporting team I have ever REALLY supported and FELT passionate about is the Scarlets rugby team and im proud of the fact I attended Stradey comprehensive school which was just across the road from the legendary Stradey Park, the Scarlets former ground before the move to Parc Y Scarlets.
I know more than my teams history because I was brought up in Burry Port, a mere 7 miles from the club and I understand its ysbrid (spirit) and the hwyl (cheer) we get everytime we score a winning try. When old players like the late, great Ray Gravell or others write books about the Scarlets I know all of the in jokes and the grounds and pubs they mention. Someone born in Carmarthen but following Aresenal can't say that. For them the support is very distant and they know nothing of the local spirit. Its a hollow thing for sure.
I can't get my head around wanting to support Manchester United and the like, unless of course its purely for glory. And a glory hunter is a sad person. At the end of the day, to someone supporting far away teams, a win or loss is the same thing. Its simply numbers to them. Its probably similar to catching fish only to toss them back.
I fail to see the pleasure in glory only and to grow as a human you need to experience failure and defeat also. Perhaps there lies the answer, those knuckleheads with pot bellies in Manchester shirts who come from the beautiful wilds of Wales haven't grown up yet.