An American and Liverpool
I will admit that I got caught up in the 2014 World Cup craze. I had never truly been a soccer fan before. Sure I had played FIFA in college and knew Barcelona, Real Madrid, the Manchester teams, Arsenal, Etc. but I never rooted for a team. That was until after the 2014 World Cup. Like many millennial Americans, the 2014 World Cup had reintroduced me to the beautiful game. Even when it was over, I wanted more soccer, I needed it in my life. It became my addiction. So naturally the Premier League was the obvious choice to solve that fix. But the question was what team to root for? What team could I adopt as mine. A team that I could fully embrace even though I obvious was not born there. A team that I could love like I loved my own university sports teams.
The search began that summer. The search led to messageboards being combed through looking for suggestions on what team to support. "What premier league team are you" quizzes were taken. The answers/suggestions seemed to fit my personality. Usually the answers consisted of Manchester United, Manchester City, and Arsenal. All three had merits: being a New York Yankees fan I favored teams with traditional dominance like Man U. The Yankees ownership group had bought a stake in Manchester City so rooting for them would have fit. Thierry Henry was the most dominant player in my childhood this rooting for Arsenal was a possibility. Yet I never felt like those teams were mine. A team that I could truly root for. It just seemed like the obvious choice to pick one of those 3. Of course the other suggestion was Everton a team that was an underdog and had the greatest player is US history in Tim Howard. Still, I continued to search for that team.
My favorite college professor, a British man who taught Southern Politics, had suggested that I become a Liverpool fan. This led me to stumble upon a YouTube video. A video that awakened me. It was the 2005 Champions League Final between AC Milan and Liverpool. The match captivated me. It started from the beginning with the stirring rendition of "You'll Never Walk Alone." That match became the greatest sporting event I had ever watched with the greatest comeback. This led me to find more Liverpool matches on YouTube. Every game I fell more and more in love with the club. Of course this led me to look up the history of Liverpool. How the Reds had dominated prior to the modern Premier League. The glory years of "King" Kenny Dalgish. So after months of searching, I finally had my team.
Across sports, bandwagoners are frowned upon. They are considered lesser fans. So what is more bandwagon than an American who did not grow up in Liverpool becoming a Liverpool fan based on a YouTube clip? Especially one hat has never been to Anfield or even seen Liverpool play live. So maybe I am a bandwagon Liverpool fan. One that just got caught up in the 2014 World Cup fever and needed a team. One that had once thought soccer was a sport only played by kids and was boring. I couldn't tell you all of the history of Liverpool nor will I pretend to. I can't tell you about the Hillsborough tragedy outside of what I learned from ESPN's 30 for 30 on the topic. So I a, a bandwagon Liverpool fan. And that is ok.
Sure I might be a lesser Liverpool fan, but I still love this club more than I have ever loved any sports team. Liverpool has quickly come part of my everyday routine. I check all the news sources looking for the latest Liverpool transfer news. Try and find a way to work Liverpool into everyday conversation. I try and find a way to watch every single Liverpool match even friendlies. I took off of work to watch the Europa League Final. I got goosebumps while watching the comeback vs Dortmund. That still is my favorite soccer match I have ever watched. Maybe this is just a honeymoon phase(after all the club has not broken my heart yet), but I have unrequited love for this team. Liverpool has become apart of me and for that I am forever grateful.
