Changing horses? No chance

Presumably, this is somehow because of Mark Zuckerberg’s algorithms and the increasing influence of AI across his Meta platforms, although I struggle in this instance to understand why this advertising has been aimed at me. While it is accurate and extremely embarrassing, to admit that the first Bristol team I ever saw live was City, the only Bristol team I have ever felt any affinity to is Rovers. While I can understand to some extent how people change their allegiance, moving from Rovers to City is so unpalatable, a small piece of sick arrives in my throat at the very prospect of it.

Yet, out of the blue (actually, out of the red), comes this invitation to attend Ashton Gate to watch City’s first home game of the season on 16th August. As a member, which costs a mere £25, I can “save big” with £15 tickets, although as an adult the cheapest seats start at, for me, an eye-watering £27. As for the rest of it, why would I want “priority access”, “discounts all season long” and the opportunity to “unlock exclusive benefits”, like a quid off Bristol City women’s games and 5% off food and drink?

It is more likely, I suggest, that Facebook’s algorithms are set up to entrap those with a modicum of sympathy with other aspects of the sporting umbrella that come under the name Bristol Sport. I have occasionally ventured to the Gate to watch the Bristol Bears rugby union team play, though not for several years now and that’s just about bearable, despite the absence of a matchday commentator to explain the incomprehensible decision-making by the referee, but when the so-called cheap seats come in at the best part of forty quid, before my 5% discounted cider, that’s not a cheap day out. And as for the Bristol Flyers Basketball team, I could not imagine anything worse than what is, to me, the most stupid sport ever invented, every bit as bad as rhythmic gymnastics and synchronised sinking (swimming).

My love of Bristol Rovers and my raw hatred of Bristol City have both dissipated over the years. For reasons too sad and pathetic to explain, I’d probably prefer a check-up at the dentist to watching the Rovers play and, to be fair, root canal surgery to watching City. Despite Bristol City’s best efforts and Rovers’ no efforts, I am in no rush to dedicate every other Saturday and quite a few week nights to watching lower league football (in Rovers’ case) and permanent second tier football (in City’s case).

There is only one team I’d pay to watch play these days and that’s Feyenoord, my first footballing love and the first professional team I ever saw play. Unfortunately, getting to see their games is a little tricky so I make do with the odd game every few years and remember what it feels like to watch the team you love live and in person. That’s not something I felt in my latter years at the Rovers and it would certainly never be something I could possibly feel about our south of the river cousins or anyone else for that matter.