True allegiance
Loyalty costs more when you abandon it first
Being born in Manchester invoked rivalry sentiments early. There was the obvious United/City, Red/Blue discord. Then Mancunians had Liverpool to the West, and Leeds and Yorkshire to the East. For me, the most pressing engagement here was Yorkshire—I played cricket for Lancashire. Honestly, I always felt Roses rivalry was overplayed. Cricket is a non-confrontational game. Mostly.
Monday, grocery shopping. I needed tea. Yorkshire Tea was on the shelf, but Twinings was on special—cheaper, but not my preferred brew. I talked myself into it — was it my non-Yorkshire bias?
Tuesday morning I poured the new tea. It didn’t land. Wednesday I went back and bought Yorkshire at full price. Woolies got me!
The paradox. I knew what I liked—even though it carried the name Yorkshire, it was a trusty morning companion. A special lure for what gain?
We do this more than we admit—overriding instinct for a shortcut, compromising what we know for what feels like a better deal in the moment. Then we course-correct at a cost—financial, emotional, or otherwise. Loyalties soften with distance. What felt important then barely registers now.
Loyalty costs more when you abandon it first.
Nick
The Roses Match
Wisden - Yorkshire v Lancashire: County cricket’s great rivalry through the ages
Wars of the Roses