swag

L'autista
Administrator
Sep 23, 2003
84,783
I was talking about the WC with some coworkers and everyone started to say what team they were rooting for. Out came answers like "Brazil since I was a little kid", "Italy for life", Germany, etc. and no Vzla obviously.
The best one was a guy who said "The only people who should support Italy are those of italian descent" so I asked him what his team was, expecting to hear my country's name, and he said Argentina. I asked him if he was from there/had any argentinian family and he said no, but he was rooting for them because they are a cool team and Argentina is in South America :lol:

I immediately thought of you and the lecture you could give them:D
 

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Seven

In bocca al lupo, Fabio.
Jun 25, 2003
39,344
I don't understand why you have to be neutral when other nations play, Andy.

I like Italy more than New Zealand, so I'm rooting for Italy in that game.
 

Enron

Tickle Me
Moderator
Oct 11, 2005
75,665
I don't understand why you have to be neutral when other nations play, Andy.
I think it's fine to root for a side when your team isn't playing. So long as you don't cheer for another team against your own.

For me, I tend to cheer for Holland or random African teams when the US isn't playing.
 

Seven

In bocca al lupo, Fabio.
Jun 25, 2003
39,344
I think it's fine to root for a side when your team isn't playing. So long as you don't cheer for another team against your own.

For me, I tend to cheer for Holland or random African teams when the US isn't playing.
Also, what about people who have several nationalities? Maybe it's not common in the US, but nationality is starting to mean less and less within the EU borders.
 

Enron

Tickle Me
Moderator
Oct 11, 2005
75,665
Also, what about people who have several nationalities? Maybe it's not common in the US, but nationality is starting to mean less and less within the EU borders.
In that case pick a team and stick with it. It's annoying if someone claims they love all 12 of their nationalities the same.
 

Seven

In bocca al lupo, Fabio.
Jun 25, 2003
39,344
In that case pick a team and stick with it. It's annoying if someone claims they love all 12 of their nationalities the same.
Of course, but what if you were born in Austria, would you be a hypocrite if you supported Italy, even if you're an Italian citizen?
 

Enron

Tickle Me
Moderator
Oct 11, 2005
75,665
Of course, but what if you were born in Austria, would you be a hypocrite if you supported Italy, even if you're an Italian citizen?
On some levels. I understand why Italian Americans like Italy so much. It's ingrained into their culture. At the same time many of them would root against the US even if they weren't playing the Azzurri and to me that's odd. It's living in the past. It's like Guiseppe Rossi claiming he's an American at all times, except on the pitch.

I don't really think we're ever going to disagree on this point. It's really hard to understand our point until you've been pelted by toilet paper at a NT match in your own country. Though I am a bit more understanding on this issue that Andy or Burke.
 

swag

L'autista
Administrator
Sep 23, 2003
84,783

Fred

Senior Member
Oct 2, 2003
41,113
That woman in your avatar looks like trouble. I hope she doesn't come to Torino. :shifty:



Dude, just unzip and use the bushes.



You must have been a massive Perugia fan a few years back.

I was indifferent to Perugia until they bought that bastard, after that i kinda disliked them

Who will you be cheering for in the World Cup?
Algeria no doubt.
 

swag

L'autista
Administrator
Sep 23, 2003
84,783
On some levels. I understand why Italian Americans like Italy so much. It's ingrained into their culture. At the same time many of them would root against the US even if they weren't playing the Azzurri and to me that's odd. It's living in the past. It's like Guiseppe Rossi claiming he's an American at all times, except on the pitch.

I don't really think we're ever going to disagree on this point. It's really hard to understand our point until you've been pelted by toilet paper at a NT match in your own country. Though I am a bit more understanding on this issue that Andy or Burke.
When the U.S. plays some Central American team on home soil and sees itself outnumbered 5:1 in supporters in the stands, it's not because all those people are Honduran or Guatemalan citizens in this country illegally. Even if Arizona wants you to believe that.

Those national identities, even if past or through ancestry or whatnot, give people clique identities within broader contexts. Look at Spain, for example. Even with Euro 2008, you could still make the argument that being Catalan or Basque is far more important than some Spanish identity.

I think the piece that Andy might be missing is that it's human nature to want to belong to some subset or clique. America is too broad of a melting pot for many to always identify with so closely. Hence why the terms Mexican-American, Italian-American, Ukrainian-American, etc., etc. Whether it's a street gang in West Side Story, North Siders vs. South Siders in Chicago, or a U.S. citizen cheering for Honduras when they're playing USA in Columbus, OH, there's a human psychological need to identify with a niche social affinity.

Pretending that doesn't exist, even as illogical as it may seem, is a bit of a naive way to look at the world. Supporting a club or an NT always involves some form of personal identity. And those definitions of identity don't always start and end with a passport.
 

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