I have spent sixty years trying to understand my totally irrational feelings, given that nowadays virtually none of the players are "locals". But despite moving a dozen times, I have never been able to form a real attachment to any other club.

Maybe it reverts us to a deep seated need to be tribal and face off against others.

I was reflecting the other day, if no one I ever encountered liked football, would I feel so up/down after a weekend of football results?

I follow the NHL Ice Hockey as well as football and when my chosen team loses I feel slightly miffed but because I know very few people who even know what the NHL is, it doesn't harm my mood so much.

Crowd Psychology, its about the expression of aspects of self along shared identified lines. To an extent this may well be hardwired into us biologically, but Team sports generally tie into our need to belong to a tribe.

Its more emphasised in football than other sports because football has much strong emotional highs and lows, because chance dominates the outcome more than other sports, and the difference between a 'win and a loss' are very tight, making individuals tense, and thus the crowd tense, and then feeding back into the crowd. Unsurprisingly, its football not tennis or cricket that are associated with violence (itself tied to the tribalism, the tense atmosphere and the adoption of localised rivalries).

To some extent there is a primal element in us that is tribal, we need to belong to a group and be part of that group, and football really ties into this, for better and for worse.

Its also an atmosphere in which men can openly express their aggressive nature, safely, protected by the depersonalisation and comeradery of their fellows.

"One Nation Under God, has turned into One Nation Under the Influence of One Drug"
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I don't think it's football but sports in general.
It's something we can grab onto and be a part of without actually having to be good enough to be out on the pitch competing. And we can form friendships and have conversations while literally only needing to have one thing in common. Anything else we find we have in common is always a pleasant surprise.

Afraid I dont agree!There is something much more tribal in our game than other team sports like cricket and rugby.Nothing else in any other sport compares to a goal either for or against.And the there is the singing,extreme language and punch ups!

I'm afraid that I don't agree with you. Any cricket fan who goes regularly to Test Matches or even One Day Internationals will tell you that they can be equally emotional with the same highs and lows that you get in football.

Unlike football though fans of opposing teams happily sit next to each other, talk to each other and congratulate each other and whilst winning in cricket is as important to the fan as it is in football you don't get the same sorts of aggravation and violence that you do in football.

Whilst I disagree with you I can't give an alternative reason for the difference as football seems to appeal to peoples' baser instincts but I don't know why