Speaking of rooting for a team:
Which are the teams you are cheering for? Do you pick one at every game you watch? Do you have a team, or a couple of teams, which you support throughout the tournament? And why?I'll start:
This EURO, I root for Greece, England and Germany. Additionally, I pick one of the two sides in most games I watch.
Reasons can be different for me to root for a team: the underdogs, or a team that plays risky, offensive and fast on that day, or stuff that doesn't have anything to do with football: an especially cherished holiday memory from a country, oppposition to everybody else in the room while watching, or of course one or more good looking players.
Nuno Gomes alone made me cheer for Portugal for many happy years
For Greece I cheer because they're an underdog team, because I like Greece as a country (it does have a special feeling to it, relaxed, slow and friendly) and because of the fun sounding names of the players.
England because I'm a fan of everything British. And: Three Lions on a Shirt. Best football anthem ever.
Germany because the Germans' attitude toward football has changed in the last years. They used to be very grim, serious and arrogant about football. When they lost, it was almost a national crisis.
And of course I loved to mock that.
I used to always root against the German team, no matter who the opponent was.
Since we hosted the world championship in 06, and with public viewing coming up, the attitude has changed. It's more fun, playful and cheerful now and I like that.
