Since I started following the EPL, one of my favorite things has been learning European football lingo. Not only do I find the commentary entertaining, but I also think the terminology illustrates a certain depth that American sports lack.
For example, in Europe a team’s followers aren’t referred to as fans, but supporters. While fans simply admire from a distance, supporters are involved. A fan’s love for his or her side oscillates depending on form, but a supporter’s loyalty never waivers.
I also love that in Europe a sports season is called a campaign. While a season simply denotes a period of time, a campaign indicates there’s always something to accomplish.
But my favorite example is the contrast between American sports organizations and European football clubs. An organization is an institution operated by a top-down hierarchy. A club, though, is something you can join – people with the same passions, independent of status, are all welcome. A club is operated by all its members and everyone involved has a role.
This was evident during Everton’s survival push last campaign. If you ask any player or staff member, I guarantee they’d tell you the supporters had just as big a role as anyone in overcoming the relegation threat. When the club had appeared to hit rock bottom, it was the supporters who lifted us up. Whether it was greeting the team bus with raucous crowds, setting off fireworks at 3a.m. outside of opposing teams’ hotels, or inhabiting King Power Stadium long after the final whistle, the message was always clear:
“We’re behind you no matter what.”
It’s bizarre when I compare this to my home-state’s NFL team, the Cleveland Browns. In 2017, the team went 0-16 making them only the second team in history to finish a season winless. Towards the end of the campaign, tickets to home games were selling for as low as $5, yet majority of the stands remained empty. What’s worse is that after the final game thousands of Browns “fans” from all over Ohio gathered in downtown Cleveland for a sarcastic “perfect season parade.”
Now, I understand the consequences are different, and not having repercussions for finishing at the bottom of the league is a problem that needs addressed in American sports. Nonetheless, as my love for the EPL grows, my respect for American sports dwindles. European football is everything I didn’t know I was missing when it comes to sports: passion, togetherness and responsibility.
I’m just glad to finally be part of the club.
Toffee Bits 