@_tackina Men build yourself, leave all this foolish quotes. Make sure youโre winning and make youโre putting men at that โmen is the prideโ equation always.
Midnight I received a call from this other dude, an Arsenal fan screaming his lungs out "we won, we won, we won". Almost tore my earpieces with his noise.
That time the dude, is broke and that's when it struck to me, football is the only thing happening in his life. He is living vicariously through "his team".
Why so many men treat their teamโs win like itโs their own?
Walk into any bar on a Champions League night and youโll see it. Grown men screaming, jumping, cursing at the ref like theyโre on the pitch. The team wins, and suddenly itโs โwe did itโ. The team loses, and itโs a bad Monday.
Thatโs vicarious living, and soccer is the main drug for it.
*1. Identity without effort*
Building status in real life takes years: career, family, skills, money. Supporting a club gives you an instant identity. Youโre a Man City fan, a Man Utd fan, an Arsenal fan. No tryouts needed. When they win, your identity wins too.
*2. Controlled emotion in a boring world*
Most of life is muted. Work, bills, routine. A 90-minute match is 90 minutes where youโre allowed to feel everything at max volume. The highs feel earned, even if you did nothing but watch. Itโs a legal hit of purpose and tribal belonging.
*3. Tribe > Individual*
Humans are wired for tribe. Your club is your tribe. When they score, you get the same neurochemical hit as if _you_ scored. Dopamine doesnโt care that you were on the couch. It cares that โyour groupโ succeeded. Thatโs why losses feel personal - itโs a group loss.
*4. Low cost, high payoff*
You can be a fan from anywhere. No gym, no talent, no risk of injury. You put in $0 and 2 hours a week, and you get bragging rights, community, and emotional highs for months. Itโs the highest ROI hobby out there.
*The catch*
It becomes a problem when it replaces real wins. If your only โwe did itโ moment is your club lifting a trophy, youโre renting meaning. Real fulfillment comes from things you actually control: your health, your work, your relationships.
But used right, itโs healthy. Itโs ritual, community, and a break from the grind. The mistake is confusing โwe wonโ with โI wonโ.
Be a fan. Celebrate. Then go build something in your own life you can say that about.
Learn OR perish!!!