When Results Don’t Matter: What Fandom Teaches Brands About Loyalty

If you’re a football fan, it’s hard to escape the heated battle for survival at the bottom of the Premier League table this season. Nottingham Forest, West Ham United, and, most surprisingly, Tottenham Hotspur, three teams you’d have been shocked to see struggling, are all circling the drain.

Poor form, and the looming threat of relegation as your beloved team plummets down the table, can be devastating for fans. That pain was on brutal display during Tottenham’s 5–2 thrashing by Atletico Madrid recently.

Of course, as rival fans, it’s easy to point and laugh at Spurs. But something struck me during last week’s game.

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