"we're a big club" - supporter obsession

[Tassieboy]

It’s so weird.

 

[SC_Power]

I’ve never once understood why the hell it matters.

The two best bands I’ve ever seen live are arguably the biggest stadium act in history (U2), and Jebediah, playing 3 gigs to about 800 people at a uni bar.

My favourite cricket side is a few specks in the Atlantic Ocean. My favourite NRL side is the (equal) oldest in the competition and the richest and third most successful and has always had a decent albeit not necessarily huge fan base.

My afl club has traditionally been right in the middle of the pack in terms of support and finance up until the last decade or so.

I’ve never understood why being part of something with a huge group of people makes it ‘better’

In AFL terms….. Something something “money” something “timeslot” something something “media darlings” something “AFL favoritism”….

 

[Rotayjay]

Remember last year when Fox Sports decided Richmond is so crap that they cancelled the Big Four and annointed a Big Three instead?


View attachment 2255389

Is that bloke wearing nail polish? What the ****?

 

[nut]

Why would you want to follow a 'big' club anyway?

My mate is AFL member of Carlton and for some big games at the G it's a stress for him to get a ticket.

Another mate goes for North and can turn up ten minutes before the bounce, scan in, grab a prime seat and enjoy.

Enjoy what?

 

[Breretonisahood]

Media driven. Post game analysis on FOX is all about “big club” Carlton. You’d think they won by 10 goals the way they’re pumping up Cripps, DeKoning et al.

 

[Jables]

Richmond, Collingwood and West Coast are the AFL juggernauts.

Carlton and Essendon in the tier below them.

Idk if you are actually from Melbourne to claim Richmond are so much bigger than Essendon, ngl

 

[Cleric]

The size of membership is a bonus for a club in attracting higher paying sponsors and pushing their agenda with the AFL for game allocations.
Obviously their is more money from the larger membership fees.

 

[Kavliaris69]

Ok, so now Derwayne is taking calls from Essendon supporters demanding to be called "a big club".

Precisely what is the obsession, and what is the benefit?

PS. I reckon any mid-range club with sustained success over two decades can become "big". I personally couldn't give a stuff.

Not sure what the obsession is other than to feel relevant. The big 4 in VIC are Richmond, Collingwood, Geelong and Hawthorn. Blues and Dons lost that right for over 2 decades. They need to earn it back IMO to be reinstated.

And memberships mean crap too. Given the amount of supporters the 'old Big 4" have, Cats and Hawks easily beat them in terms of membership ratio per supporter.

Personally I don't care as premierships are what matters not this irrelevant obsession.

 

[WillHayward]

Ok, so now Derwayne is taking calls from Essendon supporters demanding to be called "a big club".

Precisely what is the obsession, and what is the benefit?

PS. I reckon any mid-range club with sustained success over two decades can become "big". I personally couldn't give a stuff.

Similar to when Melbourne people think having a bigger population to Sydney is a sign of "success".
Really?! Just a bigger shit show of car parks and traffic. Not sure how it's a win.
Quality over quantity any day.

 

[WillHayward]

To any flogs that like to use the term "big 4".

Do you have a favourite accounting firm? Consultant firm? Bank? Who is your fave?

"big 4" is a BS corporate suck holes marketing slogan from the 70s and 80s.

Absolute flog of a term

 

[TruRoo]

To any flogs that like to use the term "big 4".

Do you have a favourite accounting firm? Consultant firm? Bank? Who is your fave?

"big 4" is a BS corporate suck holes marketing slogan from the 70s and 80s.

Absolute flog of a term

Unless it's about the big 4 of heavy metal - Anthrax, Megadeath, Slayer and Metallica

 

[Osho]

It's the footy version of the biological obsession with having a big kok.

 

[Adelaide Hawk]

We used to hear this "Big4" nonsense for years. The media would tell us the Big4 were Collingwood, Carlton, Richmond and Essendon. The amusing thing was that for 21 seasons from 1996 to 2016, the "Big4" only won 1 premiership between them, and some of them spent considerable time near or at the foot of the ladder.

 

[AlwaysHawks15]

Our recent two decades of success do not automatically place us in the same category as Essendon If anything, we are more akin to Manchester City or Chelsea in the AFL landscape, while Essendon (plus Carlton and Collingwood) remains the league’s equivalent of Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal. Take your pick.

If you want to talk different leagues Geelong would be Napoli, Inter, Milan and Juve Carlton Collingwood and Essendon.

 

[AlwaysHawks15]

A feeling of superiority by association, that's all there is to it. Similarly to nationalism whereby certain people feel justified in believing they are superior to other people for being born in a wealthier 'better' country than those born in other less wealthy/developed nations in the world.

Occasionally there are threads asking which other club will a poster support if for whatever reason the current club they supported ceased to be in the AFL.

Unsurprisingly several Hawthorn fans are utterly befuddled and bemused why they wouldn't automatically pick Hawthorn, become glory hunters like themselves, who've had a dream run of success for various reasons that have had nothing to do with their administration for the past couple of decades.

Such has having the good fortune of being gifted zones that belonged to other clubs that were brimming and bursting at the seams with more top tier talent than your average zone while conveniently ignoring pre 1960s Hawthorn evidenced by how much they fell off after the draft was introduced in the 80s once the players they picked up from the zones all retired.

Only becoming relevant again after unashamedly tanking for priority picks for several years in the mid 2000s. Whereas I've always had a soft spot for the underdog and would pick St Kilda.

Personally I think it's kind of lame to have feelings of superiority simply for being part of a country and/or choosing a club/etc... that is by some certain measures 'successful' rather than rely on having a sense of pride derived from your own personal achievements.

These are the kind of 'faulty' people who go on about how many flags 'their' club has won in the past decades, how many members their club has and therefore bigger and more important than others it is, and/or how much wealthier and better their country is to others in the world.

The average footy supporter has had very little to do with the success of a club other than attend games and pay for memberships and posters who indulge in this behaviour never fail to amuse me.

Anytime I've brought up Geelong's success is to push back on narratives that are thinly disguised cheap shots for example, whenever Richmond fans claim they 'owned' Geelong between 2017 and 2020 and exorcised the demons of having their arse cheeks clapped by Geelong since the mid 1980s to mid 2010s.

Conveniently not taking into consideration that clubs that have periods of success are denied the best young players in the country and eventually become bottom feeders in the subsequent years, which is exactly what happened to Hawthorn after 2015.

Yet Geelong was able to stay relevant and go against that trend without needing to rely on Top 10 draft picks. Had Geelong being a spoon bottom feeder they would have avoided losing finals in September to any team in those years and in the mind of the average simple Richmond supporter that would have been fare more admirable and respectable than what Geelong was able to achieve.

We didn't exactly become a bottom feeder tbh, a couple of lowish finishes but we never had a 4 or less win season. Never truly bottomed out despite the media claiming that's what we were trying to do the start of last year.

 

[WillHayward]

Unless it's about the big 4 of heavy metal - Anthrax, Megadeath, Slayer and Metallica

Granted

 

[Howard Littlejohn]

Our recent two decades of success do not automatically place us in the same category as Essendon If anything, we are more akin to Manchester City or Chelsea in the AFL landscape, while Essendon (plus Carlton and Collingwood) remains the league’s equivalent of Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal. Take your pick.

Does that Freo the equal of Tottenham? Some years look close, not one of the biggest clubs but in the next tier down, and can't win trophies.
Ange to the Dockers?

Very different competitions though, size means more in most Association Football leagues. No salary cap etc means a larger, much more direct, on-field advantage.

 

[CatToTheFuture]

Is that bloke wearing nail polish? What the ****?

It was for a little girl with cancer iirc

 

[iameviljez]

Is that bloke wearing nail polish? What the ****?

Why would anyone care?

 

[MadMaxx]

While you guys measure who is in the big 4. My club is focused on winning flags.

/EOM

 

[Blind Turn]

What is this shit??

We’re better than a big club. We’re ****ing sleeping giants campaigners!

 

[Adelaide Hawk]

We didn't exactly become a bottom feeder tbh, a couple of lowish finishes but we never had a 4 or less win season. Never truly bottomed out despite the media claiming that's what we were trying to do the start of last year.

It always amuses me the media's attitude towards Hawthorn when they have a couple of poor years. The poster you were responding to mentioned Hawthorn's "tanking" in the 2000s, whilst singing the praises of Geelong.

It used to bemuse me back then when discussing potential ladder positions at the beginning of the 2006 season, you'd hear the "expert" comment about Hawthorn would finish bottom "again", and several digs that they would be the first team to finish 17th in a 16-team competition.

In 2005, we had a poor year but came good late in the season winning a couple of games and getting off the bottom. I had to keep reminding the idiots on the radio that Hawthorn didn't finish bottom the year before, and in fact, hasn't finished bottom since 1965. Amazing for a club which apparently "tanks".

From the period 2007 to 2018, the Hawks missed the finals once and were 9th in 2019. In a similar period 2015 to 2023, Geelong missed the finals twice. Won the flag in 2022, plummeted to 12th the following year. Strangely, no suggestion they may be tanking.

Always the perception that Geelong is always in the finals, and always the perception the Hawks are tankers. Public and media perception is a wonderful thing, just like every year we are told media favourites Essendon and Carlton will be the big improvers ... and they never are.

 

[Rotayjay]

It was for a little girl with cancer iirc

Completely fair

 

[Guju]

IMO hawthorn supporter base has grown significantly since I started following them in 83....but I feel we are probably the most fair weathered supporter base....when we are up and about, we will fill up the stadiums....when we are down, the stadiums are largely empty....overall the growth is trending upwards.

 

[north_lad]

I actually like supporting a small team, makes every win a little sweeter.