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British Sports Fans - The Most Devoted in the World

10
Vote

by user Alex Holowczak

I think that British Sports Fans are brilliant. Here is a list of lengths they are prepared to go to:-

  • During the FIFA World Cup, they always filled >75% of the stadiums that England were playing in.
  • During The Ashes (cricket) in Australia, there was a vociferous English contingent.
  • During European Athletics Championships in Gothenburg, there are vociferous British fans, you can hear a bigger cheer when their athletes are announced (albeit they are poor).
  • During Open Golf Championship or other British golf events, there are no cries of "Get in the Hole!!" when a player tees off on a par five...
  • All Premiership Grounds are often full on matchdays.
  • All Rugby Grounds are full on matchdays (albeit they are smaller, but dates normally clash with Football games).
  • Whenever a national team plays in any sport, there is always a capacity crowd.
  • In games that require crowd silence when appropriate, that is given.
  • Thousands of fans went to the Olympics in 2004 in Greece.
  • When England won the Rugby World Cup and Ashes, there were open top bus rides lined with millions on the streets. When the Rugby World Cup Team returned, there were thousands there to greet the plane.

There is no way that, e.g. there will be as big a US crowd at the K Club in September for the Ryder Cup as there was two years ago. Also, I cannot imagine a vast US crowd turning up to watch the US Davis Cup Team play, or watch their basketball team play. 200,000 people went to Silverstone to see the British Grand Prix in 2005. 100,000 went to Donington Park to see the British MotoGP, and 80,000 went to Brands Hatch to see the two rounds of the World Superbike Championship - all capacity crowds. Also, one amazing statistic, more people attended Great Britain's last home Ice Hockey game, than the Canadian equivalent.

So that is why I believe British Fans to be the best in the world. Anyone disagree?


Date

Fri 08/11/06, 5:17 am EST


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Patrickburke1980All-American
1222 days ago
Score 1+-
I think I am brilliant.
Permalink | Reply
Alex HolowczakHall of Famer
1222 days ago
Score 0+-
You may be, but I mean in terms the British Nation being best, perhaps more so than the US Nation? I don't know though, so I'd like to hear.
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BigPPupMajor Leaguer
1222 days ago
Score 3+-
Your picking British Sports fans as the best in the world based off of British sports. Lets see how many sho up to watch a NFL Europe game, or watch the British National Basketball team (if they have one). Nice idea Alex, but your picking bias sports.
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Alex HolowczakHall of Famer
1222 days ago
Score -1+-
That's why I mentioned Ice Hockey - hardly our national past-time (although we invented it!) There are actually capacity crowds at the Scottish Claymores home games - in a 70,000 seater stadium too. I know BBL (British Basketball League) games are well attended, so I presume national level games are too. I don't believe that, e.g. all MLB games are near sell-outs, that many people from the US go to the Olympics (that are held around the world).
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PnattRed-Shirting
1133 days ago
Score 0+-
Canada invented ice hockey, not GB.
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PnattRed-Shirting
1133 days ago
Score 0+-
Dunno what you mean by GB inventing ice hockey?!
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BigPPupMajor Leaguer
1222 days ago
Score 0+-
MLB games are sold out depending on the team, but when you have 81 or 82 chances to see a team in their home stadium in a year theres no rush to get out there. The Olympics do not represent major American Sports. Track and Field has not be in the lime light in the U.S. in years.
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Alex HolowczakHall of Famer
1222 days ago
Score 1+-
That's America's fault. Since USA come top usually every four years (China look set to overtake them in 2008), that is not really an excuse. Nor is the overkill of games, since stadia are not nearly as big as their NFL counterparts. The Olympics represent worldwide major sports, so what does that say about US Sport? My point is, no matter how much we like/dislike or are good/bad at the sport, British Fans still turn up to root for their athletes. That's why they're the best.
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BigPPupMajor Leaguer
1222 days ago
Score 1+-
The British are more overall fans, where the US fans are fair weather fans. We like the USA when we are front runners and when the games are in our own back yard. Not a big fan of traveling around the world to watch our teams lose. In regards to the sports we play in country (i.e. NBA, MLB, NFL) those games always sell out and have feverish fans with the exception of only a few poor sports teams/cities in each respected league.
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Jgov05All-American
1222 days ago
Score 1+-
Correct me if I'm wrong here, but don't most British sporting events occur around London, where most of the people in the country live? The sporting events that occur around New York are just as well-attended.
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Alex HolowczakHall of Famer
1222 days ago
Score 0+-
No, not at all. The motor racing is all over the country. The snooker is held all over, with the World Championships in Sheffield. London has only just had an Elite League Ice Hockey Team. There are more sports teams in London yes, but it is a nationwide thing too. There is not a big gap. Also, British Fans travel all over, making them more devoted to their team.
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Bobbyjim45Draft Pick
1222 days ago
Score 2+-
Yes, but travelling all over Britain is like travelling all over Indiana. It's not like I could easily go see a Red Sox game in California coming from New Hampshire. I'd love to but it's just not realistic. That doesn't make British sports fans better, it just makes the country smaller.
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Alex HolowczakHall of Famer
1222 days ago
Score 0+-
But my point in the article was about travelling all over the world, let alone all over the USA. I was just replying to Jgov05's argument that New York sports are well attended.
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ThecrookedcapAll-Star
1222 days ago
Score 2+-
Still Alex, the continent of Europe as a whole is much closer. London to Athens is a shorter distance than New York to Dallas!
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ThecrookedcapAll-Star
1222 days ago
Score 0+-
Still Alex, the continent of Europe as a whole is much closer. London to Athens is a shorter distance than New York to Dallas!
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Alex HolowczakHall of Famer
1222 days ago
Score 0+-
Do you think Europe to Athens is less distance than New York to Dallas? Does anybody know? :) Maybe so, but our fans filled a stadium in Japan at the World Cup, filled the SCG in Sydney and MCG in Melbourne for The Ashes, lined the fairways at Oakland Hills' Ryder Cup etc.
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ThecrookedcapAll-Star
1222 days ago
Score 1+-
I looked it up Alex. It's not that hard to do.
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ThecrookedcapAll-Star
1222 days ago
Score 3+-
The American presence at the K-Club might be weak. But remember the most of the big golf fans who have the bucks to go transatlantic are not likely to do it twice in a three month period. That's an unrealistic expectation. 300,000 show up at Indianapolis for the 500 and whatever they're calling the Brickyard 400 (although this year's was down due to gas prices). I'd also argue that we've got a much greater spread of sports, in particular a much stronger Collegiate (University) sports. Anyone who has seen a crowd at a stadium like Michigan, Penn State, or Tennessee would agree with me.
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Alex HolowczakHall of Famer
1222 days ago
Score 0+-
I do agree with you, we have ZERO "Collegiate" system in place. We don't have drafts like you. We have youth academies. Youth matches here are very badly attended. I still believe our fans are more devoted to the cause of international events. I think that we are better at rooting for our national team, I don't think anyone can argue with that. Because youth teams are the same as the main team, there is little support for them, so no-one takes notice. There are some events that are attended however in a University system. The Boat Race, e.g. Oxford v Cambridge. Most sports have an Oxford v Cambridge, referred to as a Varsity game. The rugby, and cricket games are highlights of the year, but the Boat Race stands out above all others. Not as good as the US system, our system is a select few events.
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ThecrookedcapAll-Star
1222 days ago
Score 0+-
One quick question: where is the home ice hockey statistic you're talking about? Could you show a link?
Permalink | Reply
Alex HolowczakHall of Famer
1222 days ago
Score 0+-
Unlikely, I read it in a local newspaper report. 20,000 people went to see GB against Hungary in Solihull a few months ago, and it was a sell out. I read in the newspaper that that was more than attended a recent match involving Canada. I took it as written, but now I think about it, I can't think of any international match they would have played in.
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ThecrookedcapAll-Star
1222 days ago
Score 0+-
Yeah, it's sort of difficult to believe, since the average hockey arena for top flight competition is somewhere around 18,000. As a reference, the last home senior men's game for the Canadian national team in Canada had over 19,000 (over a sellout at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto) at the World Cup final in 2004.
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Alex HolowczakHall of Famer
1222 days ago
Score 0+-
In which case, it was only because the stadium was bigger!
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Bobbyjim45Draft Pick
1222 days ago
Score 1+-
It's a plus that they don't shout "get in the hole"? Where's the devotion and faith in your favorite golfers?
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ThecrookedcapAll-Star
1222 days ago
Score 1+-
There's one I sort of agree with Alex on. A lot of the guys who shout they are really obnoxious, and do it at the dumbest times (i.e. after a drive).
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Alex HolowczakHall of Famer
1222 days ago
Score 0+-
Also, shouting "Get in the hole!" won't help the golfer, as he's already hit the ball! Shouting that doesn't have any effect on gravity, and/or the ball, and it just sounds like the person shouting it is a little bit rude.
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Bobbyjim45Draft Pick
1222 days ago
Score 0+-
Yeah, wee bit of sarcasm on that one, old chap. I can't stand those guys either.
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I am a cpcpMajor Leaguer
1222 days ago
Score 1+-
I'll give the Brittish 2nd place. The MOST Devoted in the World are Cleveland fans. All our teams sucked, have sucked and will continue suck but yet we're all stupid for all three teams for our entire lives despite heartbreak after heartbreak. THAT, my friend, takes devotion in the truest sense of the word. :-)
Permalink | Reply
Alex HolowczakHall of Famer
1222 days ago
Score 0+-
On the same token, perhaps Philadelphia fans would be up there too. But in terms of as a nation? I'd give Great Britain #1, perhaps Australia #2, followed by the United States at #3.
Permalink
I am a cpcpMajor Leaguer
1222 days ago
Score -1+-
Philly fans aren't devoted to their team. They Boo them and complain about them constantly.
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BigPPupMajor Leaguer
1222 days ago
Score 1+-
Also very true, more teams mean the number of fans available to fill a stadium are spread thin. Our university system is like a prosports league and takes 10000s of fans away from big games on the pro level.
Permalink | Reply
Manny StilesMajor Leaguer
1222 days ago
Score 1+-
Think of how loyal Americans would be if their country was crammed into an island the size of what? half of Ohio?
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Manny StilesMajor Leaguer
1222 days ago
Score 0+-
you pick on someone? pick on the Yankees, not us yankees. hee, hee I LOVE ArmchairGM ++ as always, Alex
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Alex HolowczakHall of Famer
1222 days ago
Score 0+-
But internationally loyal?
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