Groups of fans of rival premiership football teams within the same UK city - Essay Example

? Groups of fans of rival premiership football teams within the same UK Loyalty to a football club is developed through deeply rooted opinions, perceptions, and attitudes. Such loyalty is formed from inclination on certain societal, cultural, demographic and to some extent, religious issues that are common between the supporters and the team (Crain, 2011). The existence of two football teams in the same area, for instance in Manchester city, is therefore a sign of existent differences between different factions supporting different teams. Personal attitudes are, therefore, formed out of these inclinations and later direct the opinions one holds over an opponent. An attitude is defined as a settled way of thinking or feeling. This thus implies that it is not easy to change a person’s attitude. When the two teams eventually meet in a derby, the city experiences a reemergence of the old prejudices that led to the creation of such divides. Prejudice is a result of a formed attitude; however, it is a pre-convened opinion that is not based on reason or actual experience. These are creations of propaganda to intimidate their opponents. The use of prejudices against an opponent further deepens the rivalry through creating intense loyalty in the team while instilling hatred for the prejudicing team. Some of these prejudices are formed out of stereotypes which may degenerate the enjoyment of a football as a sport into a sectarian conflict. Stereotypes are images or ideas of particular type of person or thing that has become fixed through being widely held. When these become derogatory perceptions, the victims feel belittled, a development that possibly results in conflicts. One of the most common prejudices that come into play in the event of a common derby between the two teams is the claim of superiority. When teams play, they normally do so in a bid to fight for dominance. When one team is therefore eventually beaten, the opponent’s fans take the victory personally to mean that their prejudices are in deed true and they are thus better than the supporters of the other team in all the aspects raised in their prejudices. Most of these prejudices normally include discriminating beliefs. If a team that has black players loses to an opposing team that had predominantly contracted white players; the fans of such a team may turn the derby into a duel between races. Football has had some of the worst racial discriminatory cases in postmodern society. The world football governing body, FIFA, continues to charge players for racially abusing others. Fans come to the fore on player intimidation based on their skin color. This is the worst kind of prejudice and stereotype that should ever come to play in the event of a derby (Brown, 2006). The society today is racially integrated. The United Kingdom has people of diverse origins living and working there. To degenerate a football club into a racial affair just because there are a number of black players or white players in the team is a misplaced conception that makes a group of individuals feel intimidated. Additionally, the support of the teams within a city results from the placement of the team. A team headquartered in the northern part of the city draws most of its supporters from within the northern region; that located in the south similarly draws its supporters from the south. Should there have existed some historical feuds, the supporters take these personally through the football meetings and in such an event, the past injustices are relived. Incase one of these regions had been more economically or politically viable, the supporters take such developments to imply complete dominance should their team eventually win the match (Wright, Aron, McLughlin-Volpe & Ropp,1997). Such prejudices are good to some extent since they develop more interest in the team thus the sport. Football is one of the contributors to the English economy. Occasional outcome might disappoint sections of the society. This results in a sectarian society in which some of the past injustices is relived. Loyalty to a football team is similar to the patriotism that one feels for a country or the inclination that one forms to an ethnic community or a race (Hogg & Vaughan, 2011). To come out publicly and belittle ones race or ethnicity is synonymous to abusing the personality of the individual. This conjures up emotions of negativity that if not closely monitored may degenerate into civil strife and conflict. Identifying the problems that bedevil such societal prejudices is important in coming up with an appropriate solution. The perceptions created are merely psychological and requires manipulation to remedy. The society may become divided based on such biases. This polarity becomes exhibited in all spheres of life within the country including social set ups. The creation of more than one football team within a city would therefore turn the previous animosity from the national domain into the regional parameters. The same thus becomes necessary should the animosity heighten among people living in a single locality (Aronson, Wilson & Akert, 2010). To lessen the effects of the prejudices, the city must ensure that it reflects an all-inclusive society. Football teams are businesses run and managed by enterprises some of whom are not English. Arabs and Russians own a greater number of teams in the English premier league. It should therefore be very unfortunate when foreigners come in to cause animosity and division among those who had previously existed peacefully. While contracting a player, team managers consider their abilities and prowess in football. It is only with this understanding that they separate entertainment in football to other societal prejudices and imbalances that may have existed in the society (Crisp & Turner, 2010). In retrospect, psychological analysis reveals great attachment between football teams and their fans. This attachment is built on societal prejudices and preferences within an individual. Pressure piles up thereby compelling loyalty among undecided fans. Positive criticisms and appreciations of football as a sport results in it unifying the residents of either a city or citizens in a country. However, the uses of retrogressive prejudices hinder growth. References Aronson, E., Wilson, T. D., & Akert, R. M (2010). Social Psychology (8th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. Brown, C, (2006). Social psychology, London [u.a.: Sage Publ. Crain, W, (2011). Theories of Development: Concepts and Applications (6th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc. Crisp, R. J., & Turner, R. N (2010). Essential social psychology, Los Angeles [u.a.: SAGE. Hogg, M. A. & Vaughan, G. M., (2011). Social Psychology (5/6th ed.), Prentice Hall, Glasgow. Wright, S. C., Aron, A., McLughlin-Volpe, T., & Ropp, S. A. ,(1997). The extended contact effect: Knowledge of cross group friendships and prejudice. Journal of personality and Social Psychology, 73, 73-90. Read More