Munster fans’ loyalty can’t be taken for granted

Munster’s lack of ambition to further develop the full potential of the Republic’s second most populated city doesn’t reflect well on the huge efforts that were made in the past, writes John McHenry.

To an outsider, the amount of emotion invested in sports seems over the top, but for those of us who are passionate sports fans and who are accustomed to witnessing the All-Ireland competitions, the Six Nations or the Premier League saturating the media coverage for months on end, the ritualistic traditions and the opportunity to obsessively connect with others through our favourite team seem completely justifiable.

You see, sports feeds our collective need to belong, and if the 112m people who watched last year’s Super Bowl and the 2.3bn who watched the last World Cup is anything to go by, then you understand that the constantly evolving sports industry is big business.