Competitive sports is nothing without its fans. They light up the tempo and set the tone for the atmosphere. A strong support system also has a psychological advantage for the supported that can sometimes propel them to victory.
It is not uncommon to see a less favored athlete triumphing on home soil, rallied on the bone of home support. For instance South Korea had an unprecedented run all the way to the semi finals of the 2002 Soccer World cup which they hosted alongside Japan. This sort of motivation is spurred by a sense of having a bigger meaning attached to performance on home soil.
When there is a competition between opponents, support usually extends across both sides of the spectrum. It is not unusual to see one side dominate in terms of fanbase and reaction which may be an added advantage to their team, or unneeded pressure.
Emotions run high during competitive sport and the fans are usually the first to express themselves while the athletes try to be competitive throughout the duration of gamplay. We see undiluted joy from victory, tears from a painful defeat and the electrifying tempo generated by the fans throughout the game making for a very watchable event. The Corona Virus pandemic helped us better appreciate supporters, especially in stadiums as a lot of sporting event took place behind closed doors during the peak of the pandemic.
We have also seen the ugly side of biased support as was experienced during England's EURO 2020 Final loss to Italy on penalties which prompted racist chants, death threats and violence against Italian supporters all in the name of soccer.
Of course bias can stem from angles beyond an affinity for a particular individual or club. Some may choose to support a side entirely based on self serving reasons such as gambling or out of spite for an opponent. It is also a myriad of causative factors that prompt fans to become aggressive towards each other and lead to all sorts of things that should not be associated with sport.
When you look at things from that perspective, it makes a lot of sense to be somewhat detached from all the unnecessary emotional attachments from biased support and simply enjoy a competitive game between two/more top professional teams or individuals.
The Neutral's Angle
This is where it pays to be a neutral. Not having any affiliations whatsoever can allow for what I describe as a wholesome experience of sports entertainment. One sport where I do not have any personal favorites in any event but enjoy watching is Table Tennis. From that angle, I can better appreciate the level of skill on display and the hardwork it takes to come about such mastery.
That isn't to say picking a side does not come with its own exhilarating emotion, because it does and having someone to root for will always add flavor to any competition. Yet for the neutrals, there is a simplicity in choosing not to support an individual, but the sport in itself.
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