Of fandom, magic and power of stories

The hugely successful Racing Club, a month before their match against Celtic in the World Club Championship in 1967. Credit: Getty Images

As Lionel Messi took the first penalty in the World Cup final, over 3000 km away in Bengaluru, a woman walked away from the television. The prevailing opinion, backed by multiple experiences, was that she was bad luck for her favourite team. Walking away was the personal sacrifice she was making for her team.

As Argentina celebrated as the world champions, she had done her bit. Lionel Messi and Co. will never know of her "sacrifice". Nor of the poojas, sermons, millions of personal offerings or good vibes sent. They will never know. But they will be aware. For it is fandom. The unrequited love that makes sport what it is.

“All contests, big or small, are shows of strength - mental, physical, tactical, commitment, mastery. Competitive sport is showmanship. Without fans, there is no showmanship,” says Dr. Sanjana Kiran, who has worked as a sports psychologist in many countries across Asia, Europe and Australia.

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“Sporting results make a difference. There are biological, social, physical and psychological aspects to life. You live vicariously through your heroes and teams. Anything you live vicariously will be an extension and projection of yourself, your culture.”

In essence, this is what drives sports. You feel the pain of ‘your team’ and ‘your hero’ after a loss. You float through your day when they win. The words ‘us’ and ‘we’ give teams a personal touch, an identity, a deeply personal one.

Add societal and community values, it is a raging inferno of emotions and experiences. A team is the reflection of its city/state/country - co-opted into politics, history and rivalries of the people. Same for an individual sport, where an athlete represents his country or state. He/she/they are not one but a collective consciousness. Think about Neeraj Chopra's Olympic victory in 2021 or India’s World Cup win in 2011, for those who watched it live, it remains a seminal moment. A pure one.

Such is the investment that it is easy to understand why superstitions, sacrifices, prayers and curses all make their way into the sport. Why there was, reportedly, an army of witches behind Argentina’s World Cup triumph. Or how about the Curse of the Bambino? Or the Drake Curse?

It is a desperate attempt to wrest control of an uncontrollable situation. Lucky charms, routines and patterns are common. Often, it goes beyond.

Fans of Egyptian giants Al Ahly, as the story goes, do not drink milk in the build-up to the Cairo derby against eternal rivals Zamalek, who wear white. The rivalry is fierce as it is old (over a century). The former, whose name means 'The National', identifies as the first locally run club and the latter is considered a team of the aristocrats. The backstory is what adds jeopardy and relevance.

“As much as a sport is about science and precision, it is also superstitious. It is a contest. We know the universe has to conspire to get the result and we want to conspire with the universe. That is where the prayers come in, the wanting to win. The curses come against the other team to stop your team from losing. It is fanatical and a coping mechanism because your identity is threatened. This makes you feel like you performed. It is pride and shame. That is why fans blame external factors for losses and disappointments and why they can bounce back,” says Dr. Kiran, who has helped athletes prepare for the Olympics, World Championships, World Cups, Grand Prix, IPL and more.

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“If Barcelona didn't exist, we'd have to invent them," Real Madrid president Florentino Perez once said. Without the yin, there is no yang. Same with Roger Federer-Rafael Nadal or Ronaldo-Messi rivalry. You see your team/player with the halo and the opposition as pitchfork-wielding demons. Idol worship goes back eons in human civilisation, as represented in religion. That often gets appropriated into sports - hence the term hero worship and the requirement from society for athletes to be role models.

“All of us want to belong, that brings loyalty. Fans have unconditional love, they bleed for the athletes or team, get angry or upset but still love. These emotions get stronger when you live vicariously. Because what you see is a projection of yourself,” says Dr. Kiran.

And with that, it bleeds into all parts of society - like the fish wars.

During the Kolkata derby, it is common for the price of Hilsa or Prawn to go up or down based on the result. The two fishes have long been associated with East Bengal and Mohun Bagan.

“Over time, more than the athletes, fans create the culture. Politics also comes into it just like the economy and business are impacted,” says Dr. Kiran.

And the culture is varied as it is unique. From the white handkerchief in Santiago Bernabeu to the Curvas of Italy. From England's Barmy Army and their oriental counterparts Bharat Army, they have identities, rituals and ideals that are unique to them. One of the more touching acts from a fanbase is Real Betis fans throwing stuffed animals from the terraces as Christmas gifts for underprivileged children in the city.

For the fans, the stadium is the temple, a place for worship. A brick and mortar structure that echoes a collective memory and shared experience of thousands. This consciousness gives Anfield that magic on European nights, that bestows Real Madrid with a special aura in the Champions League. Closer home, Sree Kanteerava Stadium had that never-say-die vibe during the years of Bengaluru FC’s history-making spree. Be it fans, unexpected rains or the vibe, the home side reveled in it. The precipice arrived when they stunned defending champions Johor Darul Ta’zim in the AFC Cup semifinal. The day before, both Sunil Chhetri and Eugeneson Lyngdoh, were quietly confident of a win despite previous results, odds and history against them.

“We have come back so many times, that our fans, and us, we all feel that we will come back. It is the history we have made at Kanteerava,” Chhetri once said.

“It impacts the belief system in athletes. Sometimes you might not have the belief but when there is a collective belief, it changes. It starts impacting perspectives and attitudes. Prayers have strength, there is energy and vibrations in there. You can tell at some point in the match when there is a gut feeling and so much of it,” says Dr. Kiran.

That is the role, primal and influential, the fans play. Without them, there is no meaning or fanaticism. Without them, there are no stories or relevance. Sport loves a good story, the more fantastical and whimsical, the better. And stories have power. For it builds legends, which become apocryphal and seep into the culture.

So let’s end on one.

In the late 1960s, Argentina's Racing reached the precipice of dominance by winning their first Copa Libertadores in 1967. The victory allowed them to compete in the Intercontinental Cup where they faced European champions Celtic, who they defeated in the 3rd playoff. This was the pinnacle of achievement for a football club. It was then, a group of fans of their local rivals Independiente broke into Racing’s stadium, El Cilindro, and cursed the club by burying the corpse of seven black cats.

Whether anyone believed in the curse or not, it coincided with Racing's decline. This all-conquering side’s luck changed to such a dramatic extent that in 1983, they were relegated while they struggled financially off the field. The situation became so dire that even the non-believers started to wonder. They staged an exorcism, and over 100,000 fans searched for the buried cats. They found six. As per the fans of their local rivals, one remained buried.

Finally, in 2001, the seventh skeleton was found when the stadium went for redevelopment. That year, 34 years after their last trophy, Racing won the league.

Hooked, aren’t you?