Is there a word that describes someone who, for example, supports Manchester United but was neither born nor brought up in Manchester but comes from another city in the UK?
I'm not looking for a rude or humorous word but rather a descriptive one.
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The phrase for a Man utd supporter who doesn't come from Manchester is "most Man Utd fans".– DJClayworthNov 4, 2013 at 21:53
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@DJClayworth - It does feel like that sometimes.– camden_kidNov 4, 2013 at 22:00
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Only one word for that: Traitor!– Pieter GeerkensNov 4, 2013 at 23:15
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A football turncoat?– rhetoricianNov 4, 2013 at 23:55
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Maybe just a fan?– bibNov 5, 2013 at 3:38
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2 Answers
Plastic fan (or just plastic) fits your description, but it tends to be a derogatory term. Here is the Urban Dictionary entry:
A person who roots for a Non-Hometown team based on that teams good record.
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What does 'roots' mean, and what is its origin? It is never used in Britain in this sense.– WS2Nov 4, 2013 at 22:50
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Good answer. But how do you describe the millions around the world, from Beijing to Cape Town who support an English Premiership side. In Malaysia, a country with which I am familiar, the favourite English team is Liverpool, and you will see almost as many Gerrard shirts as you will see in parts of the UK.– WS2Nov 4, 2013 at 22:59
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@WS2 See "root (v.2)" in the Online Etymology Dictionary etymonline.com/index.php?term=root Nov 5, 2013 at 0:49
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@Michael Broder I'm not much clearer after reading it, I'm afraid, except that it originated with baseball, and that there was an intermediate meaning of 'study or work hard'. But why root?– WS2Nov 5, 2013 at 20:41
Not a single word answer, but glory hunter fits the bill if the supported club is more successful than the hometown club.
