Should We Be Rooting For Man City?

[JayH]

As I was thinking about where to work on the “MC v. RM file” this afternoon, I also began thinking about whether it was short-sighted of me to plan to root against MC, as I usually do due to my other long-standing loyalties. Should I really be rooting against MC? I don’t care about whether it’s the right thing to do to root for a team closely affiliated with our team here in New York, that’s not my concern or the impetus for this thread. And let’s forget about whether I or you have any hard feelings towards MC or CFG for past indiscretions. But, does NYCFC benefit in any way if MC does well? If they win the Champions League or the EPL, does this help NYCFC in any way, whether it’s a lot or just a smidge? Could greater recognition or publication of MC’s accomplishments gain us some new fans locally or internationally? Does the additional revenue to MC/CFG help us in any way, or is it just a drop in the bucket with no discernible trickle effect? Could it influence (even slightly) an international player’s interest in New York due to the affiliation with the champions of Europe or England (for example, Matarrita said one of the reasons he was drawn to NY was the affiliation)? Are there any other benefits to NYCFC as a result of MC’s success? Or could it have the opposite effect, distracting CFG, or cause it to ignore the smaller investment when the larger is generating handsome returns?

Should I be rooting for MC if I care about the interests of NYCFC? (I hope not).

 

[Goodfella]

Should I be rooting for MC if I care about the interests of NYCFC? (I hope not).

I view the 2 (NYC & MC) separately as I follow Chelsea in EPL. Overall in CL, I'm pulling for Atletico as I'm a fan of Torres. I'm ambivalent as to who AM faces but I suppose financially would benefit CFG and in a trickle down way NYC if MC wins....still won't root for em though

 

[joe]

As I was thinking about where to work on the “MC v. RM file” this afternoon, I also began thinking about whether it was short-sighted of me to plan to root against MC, as I usually do due to my other long-standing loyalties. Should I really be rooting against MC? I don’t care about whether it’s the right thing to do to root for a team closely affiliated with our team here in New York, that’s not my concern or the impetus for this thread. And let’s forget about whether I or you have any hard feelings towards MC or CFG for past indiscretions. But, does NYCFC benefit in any way if MC does well? If they win the Champions League or the EPL, does this help NYCFC in any way, whether it’s a lot or just a smidge? Could greater recognition or publication of MC’s accomplishments gain us some new fans locally or internationally? Does the additional revenue to MC/CFG help us in any way, or is it just a drop in the bucket with no discernible trickle effect? Could it influence (even slightly) an international player’s interest in New York due to the affiliation with the champions of Europe or England (for example, Matarrita said one of the reasons he was drawn to NY was the affiliation)? Are there any other benefits to NYCFC as a result of MC’s success? Or could it have the opposite effect, distracting CFG, or cause it to ignore the smaller investment when the larger is generating handsome returns?

Should I be rooting for MC if I care about the interests of NYCFC? (I hope not).

Nah.

 

[franchise646]

I don't root for any team in Europe, and if I did I wouldn't root for City? We have no obligation to them and I personally don't care if they win or not. But that a choice for each person.

 

[roxfontaine]

Could greater recognition or publication of MC’s accomplishments gain us some new fans locally or internationally?

I didn't watch EPL before NYCFC and because of our relationship, I root for MCFC. All of your points are great and I think they all have an effect but the quote above I absolutely know to be true. As mentioned before, we just hosted visiting MCFC supporters from Manchester; The Reddish Blues. They brought 28 fuckin' people just to watch us play! They even played a 5-a-side with some TR members in Brooklyn. It was a fantastic experience and clearly shows that if 28 people put that much into getting here, there is surely a massive interest in our club in Manchester and the rest of the world.

 

[Keith Putnam]

While what one "should" do is, ideally, irrelevant in sports fandom (as it's a matter of the heart), here are some reasons to cheer for Man City in the UCL if one feels moved to do so even if you're not a fan of the team:

-Maybe you dislike Real Madrid and/or Atleti.
-Man City are the biggest underdogs in the UCL right now (though obviously calling Man City an "underdog" feels a little silly)
-This run is the best that Man City have ever had in the UCL, so it makes a good story for them to win it
- Pellegrini is out as manager after this season and him winning the UCL at the end of his City career is also a good story

 

[Rimil]

I imagine if MCFC wins the CL it can only be a net positive for NYCFC. Surely can't hurt us, and if anything just being mentioned in an article along with MCFC is free press for our club. So like I said I think its a net positive being affiliated with a CL winning team.

I support Arsenal because I happened to have met a bunch of expat arsenal fans in nyc and i got sucked in. I don't harbor any of the visceral hatred for other other clubs like the expats, but I do like to revel in the failures of other top EPL clubs as a bond with my arsenal friends. I don't find MCFC to be all that distasteful as say chelsea or united (IMO) so I wouldn't be rooting against them per se. But I would like to see AM win. I don't want to see a AM v RM matchup again so I am ok with MCFC winning the semi's but probably not winning the championship.

 

[Ferdinand Cesarano]

I support Chelsea; but I greatly admire Manchester City who, like Chelsea, have ownership which is willing to do what it takes to win. I have felt this way about Man City since before the Mansour ownership, and well before NYCFC came into being, going back to when the club was acquired by its previous owner Thaksin Shinawatra. This is why I was very pleased to have NYCFC share an ownership with that club.

So I am rooting for Man City for several reasons: 1) because it's NYCFC's sister club; 2) because I hate Real Madrid for its fascist past (it was very tough to put that on hold while Mourinho was there!); 3) because it's good for all fans when a club with such excellent ownership wins a major trophy, as this raises the bar for what it takes to keep pace with them, forcing other clubs to increase their spending for players or else to sell to new owners who are willing to do so.

 

[mgarbowski]

I think the halo effect has probably helped us recruit players so far, but if we don't start winning ourselves soon it won't make a difference if MC wins CL. And if we do start winning then the effect of that will be far more beneficial than any residual halo effect.
Root for MC if you already did, or you like the sibling-club relationship, or you like their history, or just because. I don't think this particular issue should have much sway.

 

[joe]

I think the halo effect has probably helped us recruit players so far, but if we don't start winning ourselves soon it won't make a difference if MC wins CL. And if we do start winning then the effect of that will be far more beneficial than any residual halo effect.
Root for MC if you already did, or you like the sibling-club relationship, or you like their history, or just because. I don't think this particular issue should have much sway.

In a sense, the best way MC could "help" us is to start poaching our players. A halo effect is one thing; a viable path to a top EPL club for talented but relatively unknown/undeveloped players is another.

OTOH, that will rub a lot of NYCFC fans the wrong way and feed the exhausting "farm team" debate even further.

 

[SoupInNYC]

I think it would help, but not all that much. That said, I wouldn't expect NYCFC fans to root for MCFC.

I will be rooting for MCFC to win, though in this particular example, "rooting", isn't a strong term. I won't feel bad really if MCFC loses, but I do hope they win.

 

[Taurus]

I'll be rooting for MCFC as I like the club and historically disliked Real. This year is a bit more difficult for me as Zidane is my favorite all time player.

 

[Seth]

I'm rooting for Man City because I've been a fan for maybe 15 years or so. I think I would have been interested in NYCFC as a new MLS team even if I'd never heard of Man City but I do have to say it definitely gave me an instant interest right from the start. That being said, if you're totally neutral in who you're supporting in the Champions League it couldn't hurt to root for Man City but if you grew up a United fan for some crazy reason and just can't bear to "go blue" that's fine too. In short, no obligation.

 

[Tony L]

I would think the better MCFC performs, the better it is for its sister clubs, simply for the fact that it might attract players that want to be a part of City teams. That being said, you don't have to follow them. I would never expect a long time fan of another EPL club to all of a sudden follow MCFC just because they follow NYCFC.

 

[JayH]

To clarify, the truth is, I would and could never really root for MC, especially as a decades long die-hard fan of a neighboring team (hold your hate, my uncle Alex has a sir before his name). I really was/am just interested in pondering the degree to which MC's success helps our cause. If there were more than a negligible cause-and-effect, I could probably become comfortable hoping for their success without actually rooting for it.

 

[BxLio91]

Nope to your last question.

 

[sbrylski]

I'm glad they lost. MLS transfer window closes on May 11. I'm still hanging onto the pipe dream that we buyout Lampard in the next week and they send someone like Jesus Navas over to replace him.

 

[Gene]

City lost?

 

[Keith Putnam]

Well, there was no rooting for *that* mess of a team yesterday...

But I am very interested to see what the Guardiola Era brings.

 

[Mancunian]

Mcfc fan here. As a city fan I hold an interest in nycfc because of the obvious affiliation with my team, a team that represents manchester with a mancunian fan Base (the opposite of the team in red from outside manchester. Similarities?) And. The link with new York is pretty cool to most city fans I would suggest.

I find the disdain held towards city from some nycfc fans interesting. Is it due to the goading from other us teams maybe? Please enlighten me on this subject because I admittedly uneducated on the matter.

Anyway, it may be of interest to some that on our end there is general good feeling.

Supporting multiple teams is a relatively new phenomenon brought I'm guessing by increased media access. Personally, I support my team and enjoy watching some foreign football but don't route for or against any other team (other than utd). So I'm not sure why fans of a team across the Atlantic would route against us? Particularly given the team you do support wouldn't exist in its current format without us.