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Football (soccer) is a sport that attracts and demands deep devotion from it fans. We go through agonies when our team is playing and are there for the lows as well as the highs. We all remember, however, a few school classmates who changed their allegiance every few moments depending on which team happened to be top of the table or flavour of the month. This article sets out why being loyal to your team is better than being a promiscuous football fan.

1. Your team has gotten hold of your heart:
Maybe you're sick of how poorly your team is playing. You've got rubbish players who think they're big time Charlies and are picking up a paycheck of 60,000 a week. Or maybe you've got a chairman whose made his money from exploiting little kids in Africa.

Whatever the cause of your discontent, you'd like to switch to either a better or a more wholesome team. However, something stops you. No matter how you try, you can't get the some buzz about your new adopted team. Your old club got hold of your heart-strings when you were seven years old and is now firmly melded to your inner self.

I think the above scenario applies to a lot of football fans. The good news is that it probably means that you're also a faithful loyal partner. The bad news is you may need to suffer the ongoing pain that comes with the territory of watching your team.

2. You don't want to be seen as a glory hunter:
The kids at school who switched from supporting Liverpool (in the Eighties) to Man Utd (in the Nineties) might have had the satisfaction of seeing their team' continue to win lots of trophies. However, they were rightly hated and derided by those of us who believe that a football team isn't like a shirt you just don't change it.

3. It's your local team:
The team's part of the community and it's the only team in your area. You feel a loyalty to your town and can't be bothered having to commute to see an adopted team.

4. All your friends support your current team:
Going to football matches is only partly about the football. There's also half time when you go for a pie and meet up with various friends to catch up on all the gossip. You might want to switch teams but it's going to be hard to convince all your buddies to make the switch with you.

5. You'll need to replace your wardrobe:
You've got the Hearts home strip and the Hearts away strip. You've got a Hearts mug at your desk at work, and a Hearts duvet on your bed. Let's not even talk about that Hearts Forever' tattoo! Now you've suddenly had a yearning to support Hibs but you're going to have to buy new shirts, mugs and duvets (and hide that old tattoo).

So there you go. Five good reasons why you should stick with your current team and fight that urge to be unfaithful. Of course, you could always decide to adopt a second team. It's not quite like cheating on your spouse, honest. A good way to do this is to choose a team from a different division or country, so that you don't get too much conflict of interest. Always remember, though, that your first team is your main love and will always mean the most to you.

Learn more about this author, Simon Wright.
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