Following soccer is like being in love with someone who's (a) gorgeous, (b) fascinating, (c)...

Following soccer is like being in love with someone who's (a) gorgeous, (b) fascinating, (c) possibly quite evil, and (d) only occasionally aware of your existence.5 There's a continuous low-grade suffering that becomes a sort of addiction in its own right.6 You spend all your time hoping they'll notice you, and they never do, and that unfulfilled hope feels like your only connection to them.