Leicester City fans good example of 'fierce loyalty' says study

[davieG]

Probably a load of bollocks 150?

 

Leicester City fans have been cited as a good example of "fierce loyalty" in a study of the country's most ardent football supporters.

Oxford University academic Martha Newson looked at how defeat and victory affected fan loyalty in a study of 150 supporters of various clubs across the country.

Dr Newson, from Oxford's Institute of Cognitive and Evolutionary Anthropology, said both positive and negative emotions forged stronger connections between fan and team – and said City's near relegation in 2015 was an equally strong factor in inspiring loyalty as last season's Premier League triumph.

She said: "Together, the fans have been on a journey where for many years the team didn't get the results, then the club's fortunes soared, culminating in them celebrating the Premier League title last season.

"Our research suggests it is the intensity of emotion that counts, so their history of shared painful losses is as important as the joy of winning the league in creating self-shaping experiences.

"These experiences lead fans to fuse their own identity with that of their club and fellow supporters."

Using a seven-point response scale, fans rated how strongly they identified with their club and how loyal they were to it.

 

They were asked to agree or disagree with statements such as "I am one with my club" and "I could never stop being a fan of my team".

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The extent to which supporters felt their identities had been shaped by wins and defeats was also measured.

Previous research by Oxford University scientists has shown a similar bonding between soldiers in military units and victims of traumatic events such as terrorist attacks.

Co-author Professor Harvey Whitehouse, director of the Institute of Cognitive and Evolutionary Anthropology, said the results had implications for dealing with terrorism, football hooliganism and gang violence.

 

He said: "We find that deeply unpleasant, painful shared memories can strengthen ties rather than breaking them.

"This has relevance for policy-makers. For example, fighters in Syria experiencing the horrors of a bombing campaign may be bound together by these traumatic events.

"A similar mechanism might be responsible for creating ties between gang members who have shared violent experiences.

"We hope further research can shed light on how self-shaping mechanisms can be harnessed to produce more positive outcomes.

"The reverse might also be possible – that is it may be possible to defuse individuals whose love of the group leads acts of terrorism or possibly, in the case of a few football fans, fighting on the terraces."

The research is published in the journal Public Library of Science ONE.

Read more at http://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/leicester-city-fans-good-example-of-fierce-loyalty-says-study/story-29638664-detail/story.html#eem5B7hs1ZHrHdzC.99

[Bayfox]

I can only comment from my lifetime. But anyone who witnessed the David pleat era and the Holloway period. And still follows Leicester doesn't need any lessons in loyalty  

[AyewJoking]

meh, loyalty goes without saying if you're a true fan.

[Danizen]

If we don't beat Swansea, I'm taking my fierce loyalty elsewhere. Probably Manchester.

[foxychik]

It's an odd one to call as there can't be many clubs that have had the ups and downs highs and lows we have had in the last 20 odd years .... I mean it's been exciting and never a dull moment if at times frustrating but that makes the good times better - imagine being a spurs fan absolutely nothing to get excited about just same old same old year after year yes it's been in the top flight, but it must be dull. If our journey is like the Lord of the rings trilogy, their's would be one of those Scandinavian 6 hour films showing potters wheels.

I think there's a different kind of loyalty to those who have continued to support a team that has no peril of relegation and no chance of winning the league  

[Chairman of the Bored]

I haven't read all of the research, but from reading the Mercury article, it would imply the researcher thinks the current crop of City fans has been with the club through all its ups and downs. What were we doing in League One? Average 15-18k and then up to 23K when it looked like we were going to win the league. 25-26K when we won the Championship? I don't know the exact figures but new fans have only chosen to support the club as it has become successful.