Fandom 250: Case for Manchester United fans

Manchester United have some of the best fans in sports, and here is why they deserve to be atop the Fandom 250.

The first order of business in any discussion of Manchester United fandom is to acknowledge the tired argument made against United fans. It’s lazy to dismiss millions of fans as “fair-weathered” (whatever that means) simply because the team they support happens to be one of the world’s most successful. Yes, United wins a lot. No, its fans don’t abandon them when they lose. On those grounds, I wholeheartedly reject each and every trite frontrunner complaint filed against fans of the greatest football club on Earth. 

Now that we’ve thrown that invalid argument aside, let’s focus on what makes Manchester United’s supporters the best. 

The magic of fandom is derived from its unique ability to unite people from all pockets of the world and all walks of life together. Manchester United fans are, simply put, everywhere. The red shirt is a thread that ties together a young boy in Japan with a tipsy old bloke in the back of a dark Manchester bar. Kenyans and Uruguayans and Americans and Bulgarians all share a dream of watching a game at the Theatre of Dreams. No matter which country you’re traveling to, as long as you bring a Manchester United shirt with you, you’re guaranteed to find a friend. 

Another thing to appreciate with United fans is the way they handle success, of which there has been a healthy dose. When United was one of the best teams in Europe in the early 2000s and then again in 2008-09, the fans managed to keep the success in perspective and realized that no period of glory is forever. There was an appreciation without arrogance, a confidence without cockiness. United fans are here for good football, not to personally insult or antagonize anybody. 

This appreciation for quality was instilled in the fans by three magnanimous personalities, all of whom had massive influence over its supporters: Sir Bobby Charlton, Sir Matt Busby and Sir Alex Ferguson. All three men (Charlton as a player, Busby and Ferguson as managers) instilled a winning mentality that put football first, but did not put football above everything. None of those three men would sacrifice their integrity, nor the club’s integrity, to cut any corners at all. That football piety rubbed off on United fans everywhere, each of whom carries a bit of the three Sirs in their heart.  

I could go on and on about what makes United fans so classy, but you’ll need to look no further than the supporters’ relationship with a certain Cristiano Ronaldo. Do United fans hold a grudge against Ronaldo for leaving to live out his childhood dream at Real Madrid? Not even close; ask any United fan, and they’ll tell you they have nothing but appreciation for the time spent with “Ronny,” and that they still root for him. No other fanbase of a club of United’s stature has the selflessness to put ego aside and always treat every person who’s ever been a member of the club, no matter in what capacity or for what duration, like one of its own.

As Ronaldo will tell you—he still affectionately refers to Ferguson as “Boss”— once you let United into your life, it never leaves.

Full rankings for the Fandom 250 will be unveiled on December 12, 2017 at Fandom250.com.