Sports Fans Cast Rivalries Aside in National Survey
Whyte & Mackay tour Comedians Nationwide to take a Closer Look
It’s long been thought that English, Scottish, Irish and Welsh sports fans tend to revel in the glorious defeats of our neighbouring home nations. However, a new survey[1 commissioned by blended Scotch whisky, Whyte & Mackay, official suppliers of The British & Irish Lions Tour 2017, has revealed that we have more common ground than we presume, dispelling the usual stereotypes.
1600 rugby fans from throughout Britain and Ireland were questioned on their allegiances – and whilst fierce rivalries remain when we are pitched against one another, it seems that more than half of us secretly root for our closest competitors when they play internationally. Surprisingly, 53% of survey respondents revealed that they will cheer on another of the nations’ sports teams when their team is not in play.
As the Lions squad enter the third week of the Series in New Zealand, Kieran Healey-Ryder, Global Head of Communications, Whyte & Mackay, shared: “The Lions tour arrives at a perfect time. The tournament is uniquely placed to build unity across the four nations, putting aside everyday differences, to find common ground in our shared passion for top flight Rugby.
“We wanted to take a closer look at our home nations to find out if the stereotypical caricatures of the people on these islands really held weight. It’s clear to see that despite some differences, we actually share a lot of common ground – just like the Lions squad.”
The nationwide survey also found that:
The English are the most competitive and the most passionate; according to 37% of all respondents who also think the English have the biggest tendency to be sore losers. Six in 10 people from Scotland think the English have a stiff upper lip and 57% of Welsh agree. Seven in 10 people from across the UK agreed that the English don’t actually like to queue.
The Irish are the friendliest and have the best sense of humour; 33% agree with this and 42% like the Irish accent best. 3 in 5 respondents agree the Irish and Northern Irish have the’ gift of the gab’. Almost half respondents agreed that Mrs Brown’s Boys was an accurate portrayal.
The Scottish are the humblest nation following a defeat; according to all other nations. While 37% liked the Scots accent best of the nations surveyed (beaten only by the Irish), sports fans also found Glaswegians to be the most difficult to understand. Just over half of English disagreed that Scots are tight with their money.
The Welsh are the most obsessed with rugby; so says 63% of sports fans across the nations. 59% of all people surveyed don’t think that people from Wales speak Welsh. 68% of Welsh people think the English can’t get enough cups of tea – and three quarters of the English admit this is accurate.
To take a closer look, Whyte & Mackay toured four comedians across the nations to create a series of four comical short films where they discover, despite cultural stereotypes, that the locals share common views. Comedians Link and Lorne’s Joe Hullait (from England) and Ewan Denny (from Scotland), Andrew Maxwell (from Ireland) and Lloyd Longford (from Wales) – took a look at what different rugby fans look like in each nation (with some help in Scotland from rugby legend Kenny Logan.)
