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Mostly for the reason the majority have quoted here, that he's entertaining as hell and has marketed himself to utter perfection with his clever use of social media and popular opinion.
Many will say no, but I honestly believe this is (at least a small part) of his draw. There are so many Americans (and Europeans and Australians for that matter) who identify with Irish heritage, he is able to draw cultural support on a universal scale from all corners of the globe.
This goes with my argument above. Ed Sheeran quite recently commented that Irish folk music is one of the most popular forms of music in the world, due to the globe's general Irish diaspora. He has identified this as an effective marketing tool (and his claim to legitimacy is his Irish heritage... fair enough). It's the same for Conor. How many people in the USA call themselves Irish? How many people in the UK identify with Catholic/Irish heritage... same in Australia, New Zealand & Canada too. The huge Irish cultural affinity has a lot to do with his popularity in much the same way as brown pride Cain Velasquez being marketed to Latino markets and having a title defense in Mexio City as if he is fighting in front of a home crowd... when the guy was clearly born in the USA. It's a cultural affiliaton rather than nationalist. Let's face it... your average Irish American guy born & raised in Boston is not going to be rooting for Mayweather is he?
Is it due to the fact that he is representing a nation which gives the fans a sense of involvement in terms of being part of something?
Many will say no, but I honestly believe this is (at least a small part) of his draw. There are so many Americans (and Europeans and Australians for that matter) who identify with Irish heritage, he is able to draw cultural support on a universal scale from all corners of the globe.
There may only be a few million in Ireland but USA is fuc*king loaded with them.......I myself am 50% Irish....That explains why I like and hate him at the same time
This goes with my argument above. Ed Sheeran quite recently commented that Irish folk music is one of the most popular forms of music in the world, due to the globe's general Irish diaspora. He has identified this as an effective marketing tool (and his claim to legitimacy is his Irish heritage... fair enough). It's the same for Conor. How many people in the USA call themselves Irish? How many people in the UK identify with Catholic/Irish heritage... same in Australia, New Zealand & Canada too. The huge Irish cultural affinity has a lot to do with his popularity in much the same way as brown pride Cain Velasquez being marketed to Latino markets and having a title defense in Mexio City as if he is fighting in front of a home crowd... when the guy was clearly born in the USA. It's a cultural affiliaton rather than nationalist. Let's face it... your average Irish American guy born & raised in Boston is not going to be rooting for Mayweather is he?