Standards and Practices

When it comes to becoming a fan of a soccer team in the US, the standard sports rule of supporting the local team generally applies. However, since the top tier league in the country only covers twelve of the 30-40 metropolitan areas, the waters are a bit murkier than sports like baseball. There are leagues below MLS, but without a national ladder, is your soccer fandom dependent on what league is closest? With about supporting a foreign team? Is it possible to switch teams? All of these questions will be answered in the first installment of Standards & Practices.

Law of American Soccer Fandom: If you grew up and currently reside in one of the MLS markets, you have to support the home team.

This law is pretty clear.  It also exhibits one of the core traditions in the world of soccer: tribalism. Granted, since we are new to the scene, Americans by and large know it’s not appropriate to let that sentiment spill over into violence or racism. As an American soccer fan, you should know the importance tribalism plays in getting you passionate about your team. Despite that European campaign aimed at stamping out sectarianism and racism, in the end it is a battle between “us and them”. That’s why it is a must that support your local side. They represent you and your home region in the top tier of US soccer.

If you do live in an MLS market and support a different team, there better be a good reason. If you were living in another market when you got into the league and never planned on moving home, that’s acceptable. If your father is the head coach of San Jose and you live in Dallas, go for it. If you own the New England Revolution, feel free to support them (too easy). However, once you chose a team, you have to stick with them. There are two rare exceptions which allow you to switch sides. The first is if you support an MLS while a resident of a city that is awarded an expansion team. That’s your once in a lifetime free pass. For instance, there’s a Revs fan from Seattle flying in for the doubleheader on Friday. Next year, he is free to go support the Sounders. The second is if the team’s management treats it’s fans so egregiously, you give up supporting them. Settle down Riders, the Revs FO may be pooching up their supporter relations, but they aren’t even close to what I’m talking about. If things got bad, we could always watch home games at a bar. I’m speaking of cataclysmicly awful decisions that leave fans so disgruntled, they will actually turn their backs on the team itself. There were two such situations thus far in the history of MLS: San Jose moving to Houston and Red Bull buying the Metrostars and naming the team after the company. In the New York case, you had a short window to accept or reject the change. After that, you were stuck. Those were acceptable situations to switch teams, but it’s also fine to just give up on the American game altogether.  People will understand.

Law Of American Soccer Fandom: You can not switch team affiliation without an extremely justifiable reason.

Now, once you have a team, you must stick with them. You have to be careful about this, especially in neutral markets. Once you declare, you must stick. Avoiding an outright declaration while being a fan of the league may be tricky. Use phrases like “I’m a fan of” not “I’m a (inset team name) fan”, never use the word “we” in describing an MLS team, and avoid putting an MLS team in your Big Soccer avatar. If you do any those things and then switch club affiliation later on, then you are a bandwagon jumper. A bandwagon fan is the lowest of the low. Known bandwagon jumpers should not be taken seriously and should never be allowed to marry your daughter.   If you want to dip your toe in with a particular fanbase but are unsure about committing, you need to use conditional statements like “I’m not a fullblown Revs fan but…” when discussing the team. Also, make sure you have committed before putting up a Pat Noonan Wallbanger or wearing an overabundance of officially licensed MLS jewelry.

One of the dynamics that sets American soccer apart from most of the world is that the lower tier leagues are not part of the national system. Rather, they are set up more or less like minor league teams.  However, if you live very close to a USL-1 team you should be a supporter of that team.  One of the pillars of the American soccer community is the acknowledgment that club soccer in the States (and in parts of Canada) is what is most important.  American soccer fans need to seek out other soccer supporters in solidarity.  If you live in USL cities like Portland and Rochester, those should be your teams.   For USL teams like Atlanta and Miami, the choice may be less clearcut.  Those cities have teams in all four “major” sports leagues.  The feeling would have to be MLS will come to town sooner than later.  Regardless, you should still be a supporter of the local side.  They will wind up folding the USL team is you do get one (see Lynx and Sounders) and you will be the hardcore support when that does happen.   The thing is, you can’t be a true supporter of two professional teams.  If you lived an hour from both DC and Richmond before the Kickers dropped to USL-2, you needed to decide which one had your heart.  MLS and USL teams in close proximity are often matched up in the US Open Cup, and your allegiance would have to be very apparent ahead of time or you’ll be labled a weak in the knee teetotaler.   Not good, especially if you don’t know what a teetotaler is.

Law Of American Soccer Fandom: You must support the US Men’s National Team.

There are no ifs, ands, or buts about this.  None.  You must be a supporter of, and follow, the US.  They represent all of us and it’s what brings us all together.  I don’t care if you are 1/4 Italian, think you are Irish, or work under the table for a cement contractor.  If you live in the US and consider yourself an American soccer fan, that has to be your team.

Now, that’s not to say you can’t cheer on the Brazilians because they play beautiful soccer.  Many Americans were turned on to the game by watching other nations play in the World Cup.  You may have a favorite European player from your club team.  All those are acceptable reasons to cheer on other national teams.  However, if the US plays one of those countries you usually favor, you must, must, must support the boys in red, white, and blue (or those silly black change kits they currently have).  The same goes for games that affect the US.  I sometimes favor Portugal, especially now at Euro 2008.  However, I rooted against them in the 2002 World Cup, especially when they needed to lose to South Korea in Match 3.

Now, if you are a citizen of another country but are also an MLS supporter, you know where your heart is.  However, if you live in the US and obtain citizenship, there is a statute of limitation.  I won’t disclose when that runs out.  However, you will need to be a US supporter at sometime in the future at an undisclosed location.  Your life depends on it.

In conclusion, American soccer fans need to support their local club team.  They also need to support the US National team.  The topic for this series is the subculture that has been developing over the past several years within the American soccer community.  The culture of supporting a club team is unique for Americans.  Our universal support for the National side is what unites us in this crazy sports world that sometimes treats us as pariahs.

Hi there, my name is Jim Andruchow.  You may remember me from such internet sites as Big Soccer and Blue Blooded Journo, a Revs fan blog I manage.  When I was asked to participate on this blog, I really wanted to do something completely different.  One thing I’ve always wanted to do on the other site, but have never had time, was come up with some sort of rules governing American soccer fandom.  I thought this would be the ideal place to undertake such an endeavor.  Now, I’m not talking about me siting on my perch barking out edicts like some Roman emperor… on a perch.  This will be a discussion on what I have observed over the past decade or so, combined with my lifelong passion for sports.

“Typical” American sports fans have codes they follow.  The most famous defining of said code has been by ESPN’s Sports Guy, Bill Simmons.  Nearly everything he writes on the subject I agree with.  However, soccer is very unique on the American landscape.  It’s always in the top two with regards to participation levels among youths and most immigrants bring their love for the game with them (although all too seldom for the local side).  Yet, it’s still stuck in the niche category, much like hockey before the 80’s.  Something that makes it even more unique is the fact there are thousands of Americans who can trace their heritage back many generations in this country, yet follow the EPL or Serie A like they do the NBA and NFL while shunning both MLS clubs and the US National Team.  All these factors have been in place for many years now.  As a result, customs are being forged by those of us who follow American soccer like a major sport.   Those customs being developed are what fascinates me and that’s what this blog will be about.

Before I go forward, let me just say that few people adhere to strict compliance of all of the standards I will be putting forth in the coming weeks and months.  How could they?  I just started this blog.  But seriously, some of the things I write could offend you if you are guilty of violating one of my purported codes of soccer ethics.  If you are such a person, after a reading a given post you have two options: admit you are wrong and change your ways, or admit you are wrong and move on.  I guess you could also post a counterargument, but who likes debate?  Just kidding, I invite as much discourse on these subjects as possible.  I could be wrong about something.  Highly unlikely, but it’s always worth the effort to get a standard revised or removed if you feel it’s unjust or just plain incorrect.

So, who will these standards be directed at?  The bullseye is someone who has been following other sports very seriously for years and now follows American soccer as much, if not more, than his/her other sports.  It’s also geared mostly around dudes.  It’s not that girls can’t be just as serious or as committed to the sport or their team (I definitely know a few), it’s just that 1.) a man is more likely to screw up his personal life because of soccer and 2.) guys respond much better (or worse depending on how you look at it) to peer pressure.  Those are the types of people who develop, adhere to, and thus enforce such practices.  The best way of labeling this endeavor is a standardized set of laws and codes for the American soccer fan.  However, I did need to clarify the general direction it will be going.

That’s not to say subsets won’t be covered.  In fact, when it comes to stuff like singing at games or even attending matches in person, there’s no set way to take in the sport.  However, I do plan on delving into various activities of certain fans.  In saying this, you could get the impression that it will be wishy-washy.  Nay nay, moose breath.   In every article I will state flat out at least one “Law Of American Soccer Fandom”.  Over time, these laws will serve as a compass for those that follow us head first into this wonderful game of ours.

I’m excited, and so should you.  Look for the first post shortly…