State of Origin Blues

I'll start off by stating that yes, I am one of those annoying people who go for Queensland even though I was born in New South Wales. I have reasons, I'm sure many of us "traitors" do. Mine is to do with my stepdad. He has always cheered on QLD, he first played rugby league there in St George. The whole "State of Origin" thing is to do with the state in which you played your first game. So he is a legit Queenslander. I feel bad for him, he lives in NSW, with a Blues wife. When I was little, mum would get us girls to help her decorate the lounge room for State of Origin and create a "Canetoad Corner" using the most uncomfortable chair in the house for my stepdad to sit on. He was relentlessly picked on year after year, which made the young me sad and reach out in sympathy. Therefore, I decided I'd follow QLD too, to help ease the burden of being the only Maroons supporter in a Blues house.

To be perfectly honest, I haven't really given a damn about rugby league or the State of Origin in years. Back when I did, all the bantering between supporters was in jest, it was lighthearted and fun. That is why it irks me to the point of writing a whinging blog when I see how supporters treat each other these days.

Facebook is a no-go zone for me today. I'm tired of seeing Blues and Maroons supporters referring to each other as... well, a not very nice 4 letter C word. NSW won, that's great for Blues supporters. Well done, well deserved. But do not for a second think that you're my friend if you're willing to refer to me and my stepdad by such foul language.

Mum has been telling me stories about how they still pick on my stepdad, they do things like fly his QLD flag at half mast after a loss. That's harmless, and even I can see the funny side in that. But if being a footy supporter means bullying a general population in such a derogatory way, I'm glad I don't follow the code anymore. 

I remember the days where it was as simple as being happy that your team won, or disappointed that they lost. I'm disappointed my team didn't win the series, isn't that enough grief for a supporter?