Across the two codes of football on either side of the pond, the teams I support are edging towards the end of September without a victory between them. My English football club has lost seven of eight matches (somehow drawing the other after being 4-1 behind) and my NFL team is one of three yet to win this season. With both my teams propping up their respective divisions with nothing in the W column, it’s definitely time to reflect on why I, and other fellow sufferers, even bother.
The no joy, no luck club
“Why put yourself through that every week?”
“Why don’t you switch to a good team?”
“Where’s the fun?”
These are the inevitable questions that come your way when someone discovers you’re a fan of a poor sports team – or in my case, two woefully underperforming, winless teams. And believe me, I’ve asked myself the same things many times over the years, and quite a lot in the past few weeks. After all, being a die-hard supporter of a perennial underachiever isn’t exactly a walk in the park. There’s the constant cycle of hope and heartbreak, the endless ribbing from friends who support more successful teams and the occasional soul-crushing blowout or display of record-breaking ineptitude that leaves you questioning your very sanity.
So why do I – and others like me – do it? Why do we subject ourselves to this emotional rollercoaster, week after week, season after season, with so little in the way of tangible reward? Where’s the joy in supporting a team that doesn’t win very often?
For those who don’t ‘get’ sport, it may seem incomprehensible. After all, they say the definition of madness is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. But sport somehow defies that logic. The joy is there, sometimes hidden beneath the losses, waiting to be unearthed by those who are willing to dig deep, stay the course and look beyond the scoreboard.
The unbreakable bond of loyalty
At the core of this peculiar brand of fandom lies one of the purest forms of loyalty. Most of us pick a team when we’re young and stick with it for life. When your team is successful, it’s easy to pledge allegiance, buy the jersey and join the street parade when trophies are lifted. But for fans of teams that rarely experience success, loyalty takes on a deeper, more profound meaning. It becomes less about the victories on the field and more about standing by something, no matter how difficult the journey may be. It sometimes feels like blind faith, maybe, but it’s faith nonetheless.
The word ‘fan’ comes from ‘fanatic’, which can be defined as “a person filled with excessive and single-minded zeal” or “a person who is extremely enthusiastic about and devoted to some interest or activity.”
In a way, this loyalty mirrors other aspects of life. Much like how we stick with loved ones through thick and thin, supporting an underperforming sports team can teach us about perseverance, resilience and unwavering commitment. It reflects the belief that loyalty isn’t contingent on success; it’s more about the time, effort and emotion you’ve invested (not to mention a considerable amount of cash), even when it doesn’t reciprocate in the way you might have hoped.
A family of fellow sufferers
Luckily for those of us who support teams that aren’t that successful, the joy of being a sports fan extends beyond the outcome of games. It’s about the people you share that experience with. For those rooting for a team that seldom wins, there’s a unique bond that forms among fellow supporters.
When your team is on a long losing streak, it’s sometimes impossible not to laugh at the absurdity of it all. “How could we lose to them? And them?! What about that last-minute penalty? What a joke!” So who better to share those moments with than the other fans who understand your pain? You may find yourself slipping into gallows humour at times but the camaraderie that develops within these communities is often stronger than that of fans who follow more successful teams. Why? Because you’ve been through the hard times together. You’ve weathered storm after storm. And even though the skies never seem to clear, you find comfort in knowing that you’re not alone.
Fans of losing teams form their own subculture, full of inside jokes, shared frustrations and mutual commiseration. There’s a sense of “we’re all in this together” however bad it gets and that’s hard to replicate in any other setting. Whether it’s a chant at a local sports bar, an online forum filled with passionate (and often humorous) debates or that knowing nod exchanged between strangers wearing the same team colours, you feel part of something bigger than just wins and losses. It’s about community and camaraderie.
Celebrating the small victories
One of the underrated joys of being a fan of a team that rarely wins is that you learn to celebrate the little things. While fans of successful teams might even get tired of winning if there’s no real jeopardy – I genuinely wonder what it’s like to be a Celtic fan, for instance, watching your team romp to the Scottish Premier League title every single year without breaking sweat – fans of struggling teams learn to appreciate the rare and often fleeting moments of glory.
A midseason upset against a dominant rival feels like a championship in itself. A single, spectacular play might be remembered for years, immortalised in highlight reels and recounted at family gatherings or fan meet-ups. When you’re used to losing, every small victory carries more weight and meaning.
You also begin to see more beauty in the little details – the young player who shows promise or the little green shoots of improvement from one season to the next. Supporting a losing team teaches you patience and encourages you to see progress and potential where others might see failure.
The hope that never dies
One of the most powerful elements of being a fan of a losing team is the unshakable belief that next year could be the year (although I think I can safely say that in the case of my teams, this year is definitely NOT the year, despite the fact that it’s only September). No matter how bad things get, there’s always a glimmer of hope that the tide will turn, that fortunes will shift and that the underdog will finally have his day.
This is the very essence of sport – anything can happen on any given day. Teams have their ups and downs. Miracles happen. Seasons of abject failure can be followed by unexpected success. Lowly teams somehow rise to the occasion and pull off shock victories against much stronger opposition. The joy lies in believing that one day, maybe soon, your team might have its moment.
Sports history is filled with examples of teams that seemed destined to lose forever, only to rise from the ashes and achieve greatness. Think of the Chicago Cubs, who broke a 108-year World Series drought in 2016, or Leicester City, Premier League champions in 2016 despite being 5,000-1 outsiders. Even the Detroit Lions, without a playoff win in 32 years, had two postseason victories last year on their way to the NFC Championship game and the Cincinnati Bengals reached the Super Bowl in 2021, just a year after finishing 4-11-1. These stories remind us that no team is truly doomed forever.
And when that moment comes? It’s sweeter than anything fans of perennially successful teams could ever imagine. Victory, for those who have waited the longest, tastes the sweetest. It’s not just about winning either; it’s about years of loyalty, pain and hope finally being rewarded. In that moment, all the losses, all the heartbreak and all the times you’ve asked yourself “why bother?” fade away.
It’s about more than winning
Ultimately, the joy of supporting a team that rarely wins comes from realising that sport is about so much more than the final score. Yes, of course we’d love to see our teams succeed more often than they do but the real joy is in the journey. It’s in the memories created along the way, the friendships formed and the unwavering hope that, one day, it will all pay off.
So, why bother? Because sport is about passion, connection and shared experiences. Because the low points make the high points even higher. And because sport is unpredictable. That’s why, deep down, there’s a part of every fan that hopes… believes… that no matter how many times they’ve been let down before, the next play, the next game or the next season could be the one that changes everything.
So wherever your allegiances lie and however bad it seems, keep the faith, good people. Keep the faith.