Why do YOU support the Swans?

[Hotpotato]

The story has gone up and down the Stuart Highly for decades, with various embellishments I guess , so it is an urban legend now but the fundamentals are accurate.

[dimelb]

Terrific story Hotpotato - I laughed like a drain!

[Hotpotato]

Thanks Di .... you're funny !

[0918330512]

Why do you support the Swans?

Professor Hickey mentioned of choosing a team because they are winning, on TV, or like their colours. As is common now in Victoria with the young (his words).

NSW, QLD, WA and SA, which are entirely different environments (ie new teams being created in last 30 years).

"Dont change teams" mentality is also fostered by the entrenched clubs because they have lost the natural ties of supporting based on locality. Without that local tie, supporters would be more fluid, and the big clubs dont want that.

The concept of "Locality". Do you think GWS and Sydney are both local to all Sydney siders ? Or Do you think there is a line, where if you live in the Western suburbs your "local" side is GWS, and if you live in the eastern suburbs your "local" side is the Swans

To take a positive spin out of an edited version of a post, it's interesting to contemplate why we support the teams we do (Swans or otherwise).

Is it that they are successful? Or you've changed because your team loses too often? The colours? The mascot/logo? You inherited them from your family? You moved city and adopted the local team? For those Victorians who are old enough, you resided in a recruiting zone? You follow a particular player? State allegiances?

There are many possible reasons. What's your story?

And your thoughts on changing allegiances? Or supporting multiple teams?

There are no right or wrong reasons for supporting a team, so if you take umbrage with another person's reasons, please disparage them in a PM, not in the thread.

So why do you support the Swans (or whichever team you support - football or other sports)?

[dimelb]

I've said this before, but it was a while ago and it bears repetition.

Mrs d and I moved to Melbourne in 1990 in connection with my work. We spent the first year griping about the lack of Rugby League, then decided that this was stupid and we should pick a team to follow. It had to be the Swans because that was where we came from. Our younger son, who behind our backs had become a West Coast fan, took Mrs d to the MCG for her first match. She was bowled over by the venue as much as the game - and this was before they pulled down the Olympic Stand and built the current Northern Stand. A couple of weeks later he took me to Windy Hill to watch WC play Bombers, the day Sheedy is said to have tied the windsock down. We were standing in the outer surrounded by little old blokes in gaberdine coats muttering 'carn bombers'. I was puzzled but hooked as well. Pick a club? Had to be the Swans who were now playing where we grew up.

We read AFL for Dummies (written by a Swans tragic), started reading sport sections in The Age and for a while became the classic zealot converts. As understanding grew we became more tolerant of other teams and after trying out a few pubs discovered the Rising Sun which became a kind of home away from home, full of Swan tragics and decorated with photos of Swan stars. We now live in the Central Coast - aka the Costa Lantana - and of the things in Melbourne I miss, the Riser takes the cake. The upside is that we can now go to more games at the SCG and we usually sit in the M A Noble Stand which is designed to keep the sun off the cricket crowd, not the rain off the Swans fans! But wherever it happens, it's a great experience. It adds fresh colour to our lives.

[Aprilbr]

Following the Swans is in my blood. My dearly departed father followed them all of his life. He used to say to me "they won a premiership the year that I was born - 1933 - and they will win one the year that I die". Sadly he passed away in 2004 so he missed it by just one year! His nickname at School was "South". So with that background my fate was clear. I've never regretted any of it and now my son follows them so the tradition continues.

Sent from my SM-G965F using Tapatalk

[Nico]

I like the colours.

[Bloods05]

What happened to Barry's post? It was oddly interesting.

[Sandrevan]

I grew up in Sydney watching and playing rugby (league and union). I moved to Melbourne in 1987 and the office had a tipping competition. Wanting to assimilate I needed to pick a team. Being from Sydney I picked the Swans and have supported them ever since. I lived in QLD for 5 years and had very little contact with the AFL. Ironically, I went to a game at the SCG in 1994 while on annual leave. We got smashed by Geelong and Gary Ablett kicked about 10 goals.

I moved back to Melbourne in 1995 and have continued to follow the Swans.

I don't have the Melbourne tribalism that Collingwood (and others) supporters have. I don't hate any of the other teams but I like some more than others. My least favourite team is Richmond - but I cannot explain why. I couldn't conceive of changing allegiance from the Swans.

[KTigers]

I like the colours and the little shape of the Opera House in the "V". I think we have the best Indigenous jumpers. I don't hate any
of the other clubs. I don't know them. I don't know any of the Swans either. My favourite Swans have been Paul Kelly, Stu Maxfield,
Micky O, Goodsey and Dane. I've met Micky O a few times & I've met Troy Luff a number of times also. Both seem like good guys.
Troy corrected me once when I got his career games tally wrong. By 1.

[Mel_C]

My dad grew up and worked in South Melbourne and he passed his passion for the club to me. (Which is lucky for him because my brother switched to supporting Geelong).

I was very young when the Swans moved to Sydney so didn't appreciate the enormity of what it meant for the club to relocate. My dad still supported them and said the only thing that would make him turn his back on the club was if they changed their colours.

My dad always joked that he would win tattslotto before the Swans won a premiership. After 72 years he finally got to see a premiership. I'll never forget the feeling when we realised we had won when we saw Kennelly jump on Leo Barry. The noise was loud that we didn't hear the siren.

[gazza]

because they moved to sydney

[AnnieH]

We already have a thread like this don't we... it was 7,000 pages long.
Wonder what happened to it.

[neilfws]

We already have a thread like this don't we... it was 7,000 pages long.
Wonder what happened to it.

Sure do!

Why do YOU support the Swans?

And an early post in that thread refers to an earlier thread ending 2011.

What's that saying about forgetting history and being doomed to repeat it Just kidding, probably worth a refresh every few years, for the newer members.

[AnnieH]

Sure do!

Why do YOU support the Swans?

And an early post in that thread refers to an earlier thread ending 2011.

What's that saying about forgetting history and being doomed to repeat it Just kidding, probably worth a refresh every few years, for the newer members.

Thanks mate.