The Irish have taken over!

[Wayweary]

It wasn't your post that I replied to.

You were referencing my post in it, were you not?

People from Ireland travel to the Olympics to cheer on Katie Taylor like they do McGregor. Ireland isn't some massive country like Russia, all our sports stars are pretty much local. It's no surprise that people want to support their local athletes, if they have success then it promotes sport and does good for the community. Katie Taylor has done a lot of good in that regard, as has McGregor. People want to get their kids into sports, and they want sports to grow in their communities so that they can have the means to participate either as spectators or as competitors.

A good example of this from my own perspective is that since McGregor and a few other Irish fighters have had success in the UFC, there's a much larger number of BJJ gyms around and many more local MMA events happening because people are exposed to the sport.

Not many people that get into sports are going to rise to the level of Conor or Katie. So, if that's their idea, it's a pipe dream for almost anyone that has it. There's nothing wrong with getting into sports, and obviously having successful stars in a sport raises its profile. I don't think getting into MMA is inherently better than getting into soccer or whatever, except for the people that stand to really benefit like the UFC or Conor and those that are really cut out for it (and even among that group, there are probably other alternatives that won't let them down the same way).

It's quite a cynical view you hold that such a large amount of people have some kind of political ideology of "nationalism" as you call it, or want to live vicariously through others.

How do you not see it as nationalistic to root vehemently for your own countrymen over anyone else? lol That's pretty clear cut. I'm not saying they are equivalent to nationalist political ideologues so stop equivocating. And my main point is that it doesn't make you a better fan; it's not something to be proud of. So, "you got nothing on the Irish" in terms of always and pretty much exclusively supporting people that are associated with your own country? Big whoop; that doesn't say anything really positive about anyone; it's just a reality that can make the UFC and people like Conor money.