The Choice...

I decided since we have a communist president I might as well start to be a fan of a communist sport. (I kid about the communist president, I would have voted for him if my Dad’s presidential candidacy didn’t rely entirely on my write in vote).   And since I am already a Dallas Stars fan the only communist sport left is soccer. To be fair I was already a fringe soccer fan. I can name some players and some teams. Every four years I become a hardcore soccer addict (this cycle coincidentally aligns with the World Cup cycle, funny huh? Ethnocentrism anybody?) After some mild internet research and some brief viewing of fox soccer net I am nearing a team to follow, but the first task before ever picking a team is picking a league to follow.. As I see it there are three possible choices for me: La Liga, The EPL, and the MLS.

La Liga- This is the Spanish league. It is home to such powers as Barcelona and Real Madrid. It has some of the worlds best players, Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, and David Villa to name a few. However, in doing research people tend to say it is not as good as the EPL.

The EPL (English Premiere League) – Has some of the most recognizable names in soccer. Man U, Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool. It is also highly touted as some of the most exciting soccer in the world. When most people in America think about soccer they probably think about the EPL. Another huge factor in favor of the EPL is that it is much easier to find their games on tv. That is a major plus since a quick jaunt to Europe to catch a game isn’t really an option. Which leads to the one down side, if/when I do go to Europe to catch a game I think I would enjoy visiting Spain more. The food is surely better, and the “scenery” (I put that in quotes as though everyone who reads this, but my wife, will understand I mean women) is more beautiful.

MLS- They don’t really stand a chance. I can appreciate what they are trying to do, and I do support a situation that will help develop American born players into (hopefully) top world talents some day (More ethnocentrism. Hooray!!!) It just feels like I would be saying, “I want to be a football fan, but the NFL isn’t my style. Which Canadian Football team would be best for me?” Just doesn’t work. Maybe in time, but not right now.

So the winner is the EPL. Mostly for name recognition and availability on television. Starting off there are 20 possibilities, and to whittle them down to onewe will ask the important questions that need to be asked and answered…

1) Will this team be relegated in the foreseeable future? In order for me to be a fan of a team the answer to this question must be No. In the EPL the 3 worst teams in a season get sent down to a lower league and the top 3 teams from the lower league get called up.  If the team I follow gets relegated it would be like trying to follow an AAA baseball team in Japan. News and TV coverage would be sparse if at all, and that would defeat the whole purpose. So that narrows the search to Man U, Chelsea, Man City, Arsenal, Liverpool, Everton, Fullham.

2) Who has players that I a) recognize and b) like or at least am neutral towards?

By the #’s Man U had 8 players I recognized, Chelsea 3, Man City, Everton, and Fullham all had 2, and Liverpool and Arsenal both had 1. I will knock the last two out of the running. The overwhelming number of players I recognize should put Man U over the top, but I hate Wayne Rooney (Don’t really know why either, he seems like he might be a whiner) and that makes them in the middle of the pack. We are now down to Man U, Chelsea, Man City, Everton, Fullham.

3) Will they consistently compete for championships? Some people would say that is similar to if someone from England was going to pick a Major League Baseball team, and the decided on the Yankees because they will win. To that I say…True. However, I don’t see that as a bad thing for a few reasons: Winning is American we should expect it, I have zero geographical ties to any team. I am no more likely to identify with fans of one team than another. Finally, the more my team wins the more likely they will be on tv more often, meaning the easier it will be to follow them.  It seems like the 2 who most consistently compete for championships are  Man U and Chelsea

4) Is it ever ok to pick a team based on colors? In short that seems bi-curious at best and full blown Liberace at worst (note: by full blown Liberace I am not referring to homosexuality in  so much as a blatant disregard for any form of masculinity. Thus in future post might be referred to as the “Bob and Dan” gay ). Also Jerry Seinfeld does a famous bit about if you cheer for a team no matter who plays for them you are basically just cheering for laundry. In the spirit of full disclosure why not celebrate the fact that the uniform is playing a significant role in deciding who I cheer for. After all, I might one day find myself wearing the kit of my chosen team, and I want to be suited up in what I like best. I tend to be a bigger fan of the Classic Chelsea blue than the red of Man U.

So the Winner is Chelsea. They’ll get my first look. If I become disenfranchised with them in the first year of fandom then I will give Man U a try. I am giving myself this out in case I feel like bandwagon jumping so I don’t have to hate myself.