British men is more loyal to football英國男人：愛足球甚于愛美人

English football fans in London. British men show far more loyalty, commitment and self-sacrifice towards their favourite football team than towards their partners, a study showed.

British men show far more loyalty, commitment and self-sacrifice towards their favourite football team than towards their partners, a study showed.

Some 94 percent said they would never stop loving their team no matter how bad they were while 52 percent would gladly ditch a relationship that was not going well, the survey of approximately 2,000 men across Britain found.

Psychologist Aric Sigman said: "If men showed the same fidelity, commitment, self-sacrifice and honesty toward their partners, the divorce rate would halve overnight.

"In an age where politicians' loyalties are seen as chameleonic, where jobs and relationships come and go, loyalty is now reserved for something men feel they can actually believe in: football.

"Perhaps this undying loyalty for a football team shows how qualities such as integrity and devotion are at a premium nowadays."

A quarter of men admitted they would miss a family funeral to watch a game.

The research also discovered that 59 percent Englishmen surveyed said football gave them a sense of national pride, while 55 percent of Scotsmen said it gave them a sense of national embarrassment.

The study also found that football provided a way for men to show emotion.

Nearly two-fifths admitted they had cried tears of joy or despair over football, whilst almost a third said it had been crucial in teaching them to bond with other men.

Pollsters TNS Global conducted the research for football World Cup sponsor Duracell.

(Agencies)

調查顯示，如果拿妻子和足球相比的話，英國男人更熱愛他們所支持的足球隊。他們對自己支持的球隊更加忠誠、更具責任感和自我犧牲精神。

近2000名英國男子參加了此項調查。其中約94%的調查對象表示，不論球隊的成績多么糟糕，他們都不會停止熱愛自己的球隊。而52%的男子則表示，如果和女友的關系進展不順，他們則會心安理得的放棄這段感情。

心理學家艾里克·希格曼說，“如果男人們對自己的伴侶表現出同樣的忠誠、誠實、投入和自我犧牲精神，英國的離婚率會立馬減少一半。”

“政治家的忠誠反復無常，工作和愛情也是來去不定，在這樣一個時代，男人們認為足球才是他們可以信任和‘效忠’的'事業'。”

“也許對于足球隊的這種不渝的忠誠正表明了正直和奉獻等品質在當今社會是多么的珍貴。”

有四分之一的男子承認他們可以放棄參加親朋的葬禮，而去觀看足球賽。

調查結果顯示，59%的英國男人說足球賦予了他們民族自豪感，而55%的蘇格蘭男人卻說足球讓他們有一種民族自卑感。

調查同時發現，觀看足球是男人們宣泄情緒的一種方式。

近五分之二的調查對象承認他們曾為足球流下過喜悅或傷心的淚水，近三分之一的男人認為他們能從足球比賽中學到如何與其他男人更好的交流。

TNS 全球市場信息調研公司為世界杯贊助商金霸王集團做了此次調查。

Vocabulary:
ditch : to get rid of ;discard （放棄，拋棄；e.g.He has ditched his girlfriend.<他拋棄了他的女友。>）
chameleonic: 像變色龍一樣的；反復無常的
at a premium: 非常珍貴