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Do you lose the passion for sport as you grow older?


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Must admit that the passion has diminished slightly for me through the years. Working shifts, unemployment, emigration, being in recovery, raising a family, coaching baseball and basketball, working shifts, the Craft etc. etc. have all left me with limited time to follow my favourites every week. Is this inevitable? Are older fans still as keen as they were as teenagers? Through the years, how many older fans have you met that rarely attend an away game, a home game?

The Widow's Son

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My dad's not a bear but it's happened to him. He doesn't seem as interested in football in general, even compared to 5/10 years ago.

As said above, I hope it's something that never happens to me, suppose you never know what awaits you in your future.

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My experience since first going in the sixties has certainly been one of constant evolution with some very pleasing changes along the way. Some terrible times, too. Never worse than when we lost our friends, family and fellow Rangers in the disaster, but we pulled through that and built a magnificent stadium as a testament. It stands today as the ultimate mark of respect to those who died in such tragic circumstance.

I find that I enjoy The Rangers more than ever before. I'm more aware of, and more interested in all aspects of our club then when I was a youngster. In essence, it is so much more than just the football for me these days. Perhaps it always was and I've grown into a deeper awareness of it with age rather than away from it.

I like to think of our history, the hugely varied culture within such a huge support, the iconic symbolism attached to elements of the club, the hero's we have, club legends, the tragedies we have lived through. And, as part consequence of the most recent events, a drawing together of all who care for The Rangers in a genuinely unifying movement towards what we all surely hope for - that which is best for The Rangers.

The internet and it's ever-rolling, 24hr streams of information has certainly helped secure this. I find the access to and communication with fellow Rangers hugely beneficial, not to mention informative - it's an inspiration often enough.

We've seen supporters helping others get along to matches when they might not otherwise have been able to, supporters clearing off creditors out of their own pockets and these very same people contribute to create a massive fighting fund to help secure our future. I'll never forget these events. This sense of unity was perhaps never better illustrated than the day we gathered at Ibrox for the match vs Kilmarnock a few days after administration in February this year. My Bloody Valentine indeed.

On that day, as never before, all the differences in our support were put to one side - nothing was more important to us than our beloved club, The Rangers. I knew then we were going to be absolutely fine and our future made safe. And so it has proved to be.

The largest body of our support are not rich people, but when passion and energy has a focus and a goal to strive for then remarkable things can be achieved. And were achieved - we saved our club. Never forget that without us The Rangers cannot exist. The suits, the sponsors, TV co's and more only stay because of us and all we bring to the table. Without us - there is no Rangers. We are the club

I've had the good fortune to live through all of this, and I've never been prouder to be part of it. On Saturday I stood for a few moments before the memorial to those we lost in 1971. I was reminded that it also stands as a monument to those who came before and why it is our duty to ensure The Rangers are always there for the future, too.

Aye Ready - Rangers then, Rangers now and Rangers forever.

It's love :h34rt:

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Priorities do get in the way of attending for some as they get older it's true, but I've never lost the passion.

When Murray took over I had been married for 6yrs and had one kid with another on the way, so money was tight and I couldn't afford a season ticket like many others, but I did manage to get a ticket for all the games except a few against the manky mob, that got on my tits a lot, I had followed The Rangers since the mid 60's and now I had a hard time getting tickets for the big games, I'm not blaming anyone it's just the way it is, but it was hard to take scrambling around relying on good mates and favours to get a ticket to see my beloved team playing.

Then the family gets larger [2boys and a girl] and they take priority can't afford tickets for every game so you start to watch games on the telly, it's not the same of course.

Another thing that happens as you get older is you tend to put the bad times to the back of your mind, and remember all the good teams and the football that they produced, not to mention the atmosphere that used to be generated at Ibrox in the good old days before the world went PC mad, and when you watch [let's be honest here] some of the crap that has been dished up in the last few years it's easy to say thank fuck I don't have to pay to watch that every week, but then I remember I did pay to watch that crap every week only it was back in the early 80's.

So back to the question of the OP, if you are a true dyed in the wool bluenose, even if you can't get to the games, you never lose the passion it's in your blood forever till you're the wrong side of the dirt.

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I think with some they have become disillusioned with how sport has developed, they see very average players being paid a fortune compared with the players that graced the field from their own teenage years. They long for a time when leagues were very competitive and not the usual 2 horse race that many leagues have become.

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Personally i still love the game and Rangers as much but what has made me disalussioned with the game is people on shit wages cheering on mercenary foreigners on yearly salaries for playing a hobby while the rest of us scratch our arse making ends meet.

The cheating,diving,poor referees and it becoming a non contact sport for little girls annoys me too.

When i grew up in the late 70's and the 80's i went to see Rangers not because we were winning(cos we weren't) but cos i loved football and the club.They drank with supporters,spoke to us like people and not subjects,had a laugh when you shouted at them on the pitch and were paid the working man's wage.

Now they ignore you,tweet about their big cars and burds they shagged,don't associate with supporters and get £1m a month in extreme cases while the rest of us will never see that in a lifetime.

Those are the reasons i watch in the pub and not at the stadium anymore and i think a lot of my generation and older feel the same.

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My passion for supporting us is as strong now as it ever was, if anything, its stronger. From my first game in 1963 to the East Stirling game, I am as proud walking into Ibrox now, as I was the first time.

My ex-wife said to me once, "The only thing you think about is sex & Rangers".

I replied, "Youre right, but not in that order".

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Must admit that the passion has diminished slightly for me through the years. Working shifts, unemployment, emigration, being in recovery, raising a family, coaching baseball and basketball, working shifts, the Craft etc. etc. have all left me with limited time to follow my favourites every week. Is this inevitable? Are older fans still as keen as they were as teenagers? Through the years, how many older fans have you met that rarely attend an away game, a home game?

The Widow's Son

not me - in fact I am more into it - more time and cash to follow follow and my daughter is a u20 elite judo player so go all over with her and just finished watching wall to wall Olympics. - fantastic

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The passion is still there,but as you get older,and have a family to support your priorities change.

In the 80's and early 90's I bought every home and away strip.Since getting married and starting a family I think Ive

bought only 2 or 3 tops in the last dozen years.Still get to games when I can,but if my son has football at the weekend

I usually watch his games instead.

Still Rangers till I die though :uk:

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for a long time now i'm never sure what part of the world i'm in (now, Jack, no bloody smart 'you can run but you can't hide' interpol cracks, eh!), but no matter where i have been i have continually followed my team.

while actually being at Ibrox under the floodlights watching the Gers on those European nights is pure magic, following my team, whether in remote places years ago listening to crackling snippets of games on the short wave radio or, reading month old reports in sent newspapers or, in recent times, watching streams of the Gers on flash modems in the jungle - those first unbelievable rushes of excitement when ma da took me to my first Gers game are still alive and well after 53 years of follow following.

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Passion renewed. I'm 59 & bought my first ever season ticket having only gone to games before when they were special or I was getting hospitality, now I'm going to just about every game I can manage.

In my case I have more free time as I gave up the 'big' job about a year ago to do my own thing and I think I have re-connected and am nearly back to where I was when I was in my teens on the supporters bus every week.

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My passion for supporting us is as strong now as it ever was, if anything, its stronger. From my first game in 1963 to the East Stirling game, I am as proud walking into Ibrox now, as I was the first time.

My ex-wife said to me once, "The only thing you think about is sex & Rangers".

I replied, "Youre right, but not in that order".

aye, Jack, but you forgot to mention that the grounds for divorce, according to your ex, was that you were thinking of Rangers while having sex!

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:lol:I think to be honest as I get older I have become more passionate about Rangers in general, since the SFA and SFL ( lieswells puppets) have been trying to destroy us I have been more resolute and determined to protect and help the club all I can, I have spent more on merchandise I travel over a 1000 miles round trip at least four times a year to attenda game and I never let anyone talk badly about my team, I think if football hooliganism was as bad as it was in the 70s and 80s I would still be in for a good old ruck :uk::uk:

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I've certainly never lost my passion for Rangers. At 66, I'm as keen now as I was when watching Miller and Brand (My hero) score for fun. and I felt the same at

Saturday's game as I did back then.

Every season brings joy and happiness (with the occasional sadness) and every Season is different as players come and players go, but the Jersey stays the same.

These past 6 months have been agonising for us, but I never for one moment, doubted that we would never survive, as we are Rangers, the world's best.

The next few years will bring us even more different scenarios as we climb through the Leagues to our rightful position (ON TOP), and then we will have the

opportunity to show no mercy to those "Sell out Saturday" Clubs who kicked us when we were down.

No, for me the passion continues as it's etched on my heart, "Rangers then, Rangers now, Rangers forever".

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