There were some specifically supporting an athlete or team that had been specifically designed, many supporting a national team and also t-shirts for a specific sporting event. We had the new Team GB t-shirts and those for the IAAF championships but many wore others. Team GB from earlier events, London 2012 t-shirts, general and Team GB. I probably got the prize for showing off the most. I wore my team Brasil for day 1, Rio Olympics for day2 & a non-marked Rio Olympics one.
I got a couple of smiles and surprised looks from a couple of members of the Brasilian team as I wondered round but otherwise no comments.
Now if you go to a football match, you are expected to wear your team's colours. You need to show which tribe your allegiance is with. What do you do if you are neutral? In England you work out which stand you are in and make sure you don't wear the other team's colours.
In Rio, I found it was very interesting. if I wore a tribal t-shirt I immediately spoke to other Brits but dressed neutrally then I got talking to some very interesting people. In the end I compromised, I wore a neutral or Rio t-shirt around the grounds but if I was joining in a tribal event such as the cycling I got changed at the venue.
You get a lot from being a member of the tribe at a sporting event. You share, you shout, you laugh, you cry with your team but you get a lot without it. New friends and the ability to cheer for another team,
A friend of mine and I went to the GBvs Brazil women's football at London 2012. I didn't wear a t-shirt that reflected either nationality. This was just as well as I found myself cheering for both sides and getting some very funny looks!
What do you wear for a sporting event? I wear a t-shirt, take socks in case of cold feet, a skirt, shorts or trousers that are long enough to cover that plastic seat & enjoy cheering for whoever puts on the best performance!
PS Change to sweater for Winter event, plan for wet weather and consider a hat!
