The majority of people in the local metro area of New York and New Jersey don't know that the most successful sports team of the recent times of the last ten years is actually a soccer team, known as the New York Red Bulls. They have won the Supporter's Shield 3 times in the last ten years, which is the trophy given to the team with the best regular-season record, which is the symbol of continued excellence. Like any sports team and specifically soccer team, they possess a myriad of different types of fans, but over the past 3 years, both in-person and on social media, I've also found some specific and more unique types of groups these fans may fall under. To better understand the majority of New York Red Bulls fans, I have classified them into five groups, going from general with many people, to specific with few people.
The first type of New York Red Bulls fan is "the casual." Every sports team has these types of fans, as they are the ones who show up to games just for a fun day out. They don't actually care about the team, besides being there for fun, they are just there to take photos for their Instagram account. In terms of casuals for specifically the New York Red Bulls, they might just be there because they received a free ticket from their youth soccer team, or attending a team outing. These are my least favorite types of fans, as they are just kind of boring, as they don't add anything to the atmosphere of a match, and I'll probably never see them again. Nevertheless, they are important to fill seats and help the club produce extra revenue on match days. Fans start out as casuals, then they progress into other categories of fans.
The next type of New York Red Bulls fan is "the child." These are commonly young children or teenagers, who play for local clubs or the Red Bulls academy and dream of playing on the field in several years as the next homegrown player. These fans are more knowledgeable and more fun than the casuals, as they care about the results of games and know about the players. My favorite encounter with a child fan was after an important playoff game two years ago, a rival fan had come to the game, and after the game, a young child went up to the rival fan and slapped them. The child provides quality entertainment and adds to the fun on matchday.
One more specific type of New York Red Bulls fan is "the oldhead." These are the people who have been around for ages, sometimes even since the beginning of the club in 1996. They have seen the ups and the many downs, and have stuck around, making them the most loyal fans. The old heads work as a "parental figure" to keep the newer fans in check from forgetting too much about team history, especially on social media. They aren't the most interesting fans in terms of entertainment, but they are important to have in order to remember all the rough, painful years that have been not as bad as the present. These types of fans can also fall into the next two categories.
My favorite type of fan is "the supporters' group member." Around the world, soccer teams have supporters groups, which are kind of like fan clubs, that consist of the most loyal and passionate fans. They sing the whole game and make it significantly more fun to be at, as they create an exciting atmosphere. A legion of these fans also follow the team across the country, attending every match, and supporting the team. I enjoy interacting with these fans on social media, as they are funny and fun to talk with online. During an away game in Philidepelphia, we sat near them and got to interact and even join in with them, exhibiting how much fun they are to be around.
A certain group within the supporters' group member is "the podcaster." There are around 10 different podcasts within the supporters groups, which is a large percentage of the people. These are some of the most passionate fans, as they weekly spend hours making podcasts about the team. These podcasts are incredibly fun and entertaining, which keep fans engaged throughout the whole year. The variety of podcasts present something for everyone's taste and add to the diversity of the fanbase, which makes it even more fun to be a part of.
All of these types of fans can be found in other fanbases, but from my experiences, the New York Red Bulls fans are a bit different from others. This isn't every type of fan, but these are many of the major groups, who make it fun to support the same team. All of these types of fans add positively to my experiences in some way, making me appreciative of them just being fans of the team.
Great categories!
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