The Richmond Supporter

[froars]

Why is it that the Richmond supporter is so different to other supporters?  We’ve got arms and legs, a brain and heart like any other team’s supporters – we’re comprised of doctors, lawyers, teachers, cleaners, garbagemen like every other side - but we’re different, I think.  And I don’t say this as a Richmond supporter, but a perception I get from other people who, when you say you’re a Tiger supporter, they look at you with either pity, loathing or just a big smile. 

If I said I was a Dogs supporter, all I’d get was a look of pity – same with Collingwood, just loathing.  No matter who asks the question, when you say you’re a Richmond supporter, you always get a mixed reaction.

Passionate is always said when describing Richmond supporters.  Why?  Aren’t Collingwood supporters passionate, or Essendon or Carlsum, etc.  Of course they are.  We just seem to do passion best lol.  I digress a bit and wonder if this extends to our nocturnal habits as well lol – but moving on …

Makes you wonder if we were born with special qualities that made us a Tiger supporter or these qualities were engendered in our upbringing (where’s GhostofJimmyJess when you need him – hey MT, I think we need our resident shrink on this site as well – bedder send him a PM lol).

I know I had a special Tiger rearing.  My dad can go back to the Jack Dyer days, and have heard many tales from him about that era with Mopsy Fraser and his and others’ exploits.  I wonder if we can say that the way we ferociously support our club comes from this era when these guys went about their business as ferociously as we seem to support our club – in good times and bad. 

I put our passion down to the likes of Jack Dyer and Mopsy.  They were loathed by other supporters and clubs, but revered by us and this mentality of ferociousness and passion has passed on to each generation.  Something I’m so proud of and I think other supporters envy.

Why envy?  Because I think Tiger supporters enjoy their footy more than any other.  We get so much emotion out of a game.  We experience the highs so well – nothing more fearful than a grand final crowd full of Tiger ferals, or a Collingwood-Richmond or a Carlton-Richmond game.  I guess Collingwood and Carlton and Essendon supporters are just as lucky as us – I’m just being biased lol. 

And our lows are even special.  When we’re down we commiserate together – we don’t just head off to the snow like Melbourne supporters do.  We’re together in the good times and the bad.

We are a very special and lucky breed of person me thinks.

[mightytiges]

We are a unique breed  . After 22 years of failure to still be as passionate as ever and to still have high attendance figures says something out the loyalty of the Tiger supporter. What other club fans called fickleness - the jibes about torn-up memberships, ringing up 3aw or posting on a messageboard after a loss blasting and blaming anyone and everyone associated with the RFC in a sometimes irrational   manner, and thinking we're gonna win the flag after stringing a couple of wins together - just shows how much us Tiger supporters still care about the Club. Without it we wouldn't still have a club (a la Save our Skins). Most Melbourne clubs I'd reckon wouldn't be around now if they had gone through what we have as a Club the past 20+ years.

I didn't grow up in a Tiger family so I can't blame brainwashing  . I just remember when I was young loving the colours, the song and the atmosphere at Tiger games - I was hooked. Other Clubs have passion as well but with us it's different although I wouldn't be able to say what it is exactly that makes it so. It just feels that way. Maybe it's bias I don't know. Our highs are definitely amazing (although not too many in the past 20 years). A Collingwood friend of mind went to the Richmond v Collingwood game in round 6 1995. He said it was the first time he felt intimidated at a game of footy. He didn't mean copping crap from moronic Tiger supporters. It was the size and noise of the Tiger faithful. It just blew him away.   

An amusing thing from that AFL survey a few years ago was that they reckon 61% of Tiger supporters have professional qualifications. Just jokingly maybe being in such emotionally controlled environments during the week bodes well for their release during the game  . Volcano richmond supporters  .

Not sure about our lows being special froars but they sure are unfortunately memorable  .

[Ox]

Great post Froars.
It's a question i've often asked yet found no answer.
As a kid i just remember the Herald GF editions of the early 70s,
(Although i didn't see them until about 1976)
the ones with the guys sitiing under the banner that read
'On Victory We Thrive" and the Tiger Head on the ground centre,front row(i think)

That to me spoke in volumes !!!
I wanted to be a part of that.

[2JD]

I too think we are special, and very loyal. I hate the way the media pick out the dregs of our supporter base and focus on them, when there are thousands of us who suffer in relative silence when we go thru a bad patch., rather than cutting up our memberships or spitting or dumping chicken manure. I must admit though, I turn from a mild mannered mum of four, politely serving customers at work during the week, into a screaming banshee(well nearly) at the game. I love the anonimity of a crowd!

[WilliamPowell]

We are a very special and lucky breed of person me thinks.

Got it in a nutshell 

And our lows are even special.  When we’re down we commiserate together – we don’t just head off to the snow like Melbourne supporters do.  We’re together in the good times and the bad.

Unfortunate as it may sound our lows are special in a weird and macabee sort of way.

Sometimes I have "enjoyed" the thrashings only because we have been so bad that the group I sit with and I have had no alternative but to laugh. What's the old saying "if you don't laugh you're gonna cry". My mate who passed away a few weeks ago - would laugh uncontrollably at some of my rantings and ravings. I, in turn would look at him and then start laughing myself - weird I know but great fun none the less.

We do commiserate together - whether it be at the Social Club after the game, or on the walk back to the station, on the train home or at some other ther local Richmond haunt we always seem to look for one another and share our disappointments, frustrations and whatever other emotions take our fancy. I don't see too many other clubs doing that and I reckon it is pretty special