Fair Play
Posted: June 7th, 2008 | Filed under: Baseball | 50 Comments »
There are many things that I only vaguely understand about Premier League soccer/football … but I love what I know. I love the concept of relegation. I don’t fully understand it, don’t really get the details yet … I just appreciate the basic concept that if you’re team sucks it can get sent down to something like the minor leagues, and if your lower league team is good it can get promoted to the Premier League.
People talk about this working in baseball — send down the Royals, bring up the Toledo Mud Hens — but honestly I would rather see it done in basketball. Let’s make it so crappy NBA teams like Miami get sent down to the ACC, New York to the Big East, the Clippers to the Pac 10 and so on, and then teams like North Carolina, UCLA and Kansas get promoted to the NBA. This would serve three noble purposes.
One, it would end the incessant and dreary talk about whether college kids should get paid. You wanna get paid? Win.
Two, it would give us numerous chances, I think, to see Duke get its heads knocked in, something that I would never tire of. I’m just thinking about the fans trying to intimidate Kobe Bryant and the Lakers with their oh-so-clever chants. Also, it might humble some of those college coaches who seem to think they win games because of their chalkboard genius. That really irritates me. Lets see you take your little box-and-one and shut down Nowitzki for a while.
Three, It would allow us to finally make that Memphis Tigers for Memphis Grizzlies trade that is long, long overdue.
Another soccer concept I am growing to love is the “Fairplay Competition.” I’m sure I’m really going to mess this up, but here’s how I understand it: Every year, the Union of European Football Associations — UEFA — have this UEFA Cup competition, which I guess is a sort of NIT tournament for European Soccer. I think there’s more to the UEFA Cup, but I can’t really figure it out, so we’ll stick with that and call it the NIT for European Soccer — the second more important tournament for European Clubs (behind the UEFA Champions League).
Apparently there is a point system for getting into the UEFA Cup — coefficients, they call them — but I don’t care about that. Here’s what I care about: Every year, three teams get in for “Fair play.” That’s all. Fair play. I mean, seriously, how awesome is that? According to Wikipedia — and if you can’t trust Wikipedia … — they pick three teams based on stuff like:
– How many yellow and red cards the team gets.
– Does the team exhibit “positive play.” What an amazing concept. I have no idea what it means.
– Respect for your opponent.
– Respect for the referee.
– Behavio(u)r of team officials. The Dallas Mavericks would have no shot.
– Behavior of the fans.
I mean, seriously, how can you not love this? Wouldn’t it be awesome if two baseball teams got in ever year based on:
– How many batters did you hit?
– Does your team exhibit positive play? Do they run out ground balls? Do they catch fly balls with two hands? Do they wear their uniforms the same way? Are they scrappy? Would Darrin Erstad be one of the most sought after players in free agency if they instituted the Fair Play playoff berth?
– Respect for the umpire.
– Behavior of managers and team owners. What about the reverse concept — could Hank Steinbrenner COST his team a playoff berth?*
– Behavior of the fans. Do your fans scream balk every time the pitcher makes that fake whirl throw to second base and believe that every decently hit ball is a home run? They’re out.
*I say this about Hank Steinbrenner … but I have to admit that I like the guy. When Johnny Damon mouthed off about Joba becoming a starter, Hank’s comment — “Let’s be honest here, Johnny’s not Branch Rickey,” — was absolutely priceless and dead on. I’m a huge Johnny fan, but even when he was in Kansas City he was offering dubious suggestions how to run the club, and I seem to recall one of his suggestions was for the Royals to sign Darren Dreifort. Get on base, Johnny, and let someone else handle the club management.
Back to fair play. I especially like the concept of fan behaviour playing a role. I think this is absolutely brilliant. To me, great fans, loyal fans* should have to power to send their team into the playoffs based on their own greatness and loyalty. I do think this would be one way to get the Kansas City Chiefs into the playoffs — Chiefs fans really are amazing. If you don’t have much Kansas City connection, you might not appreciate this — the Chiefs have not won a playoff game since 1994. They have not been in the Super Bowl since 1970. They have only MADE the playoffs three times in the last 10 years, and all three times they got beat in heartbreaking or infuriating fashion in the first round. And still … the Chiefs have sold out every game for about 15 years. Good fans. Deserve more.
*I have to say that loyal and brilliant reader Mauichuck is definitely pushing things a bit by branding me Cleveland disloyal in his comment that I became a Cincinnati Reds fan during my childhood. I can take many things, but my Cleveland blood cannot stand for this. I feel a bit like Buttercup in “The Princess Bride” — you mocked me once, never do it again. Yes, I may have mentioned that I am writing a book about the ‘75 Reds, I am fascinated by the ‘75 Reds, I am excited about the opportunity to relive the ‘75 Reds — but I never LIKED the Cincinnati Reds. I suffered with too many Jim Norrises and Chris Bandos (not to mention Jerry Sherks, Foots Walkers and Dennis Maruks) to have my childhood loyalties questioned.
Anyway, I do love this Fair Play concept more than I can say, and this adds a couple of very interesting possibilities to my soccer team search.
1. Last year, Manchester City got the Fair Play Invitation out of England — in fact Manchester City got the last TWO Fair Play invitations — so that’s something. I’m fascinated by this team possibility, I have to say I’d be kind of nervous about picking Manchester City because I’m very clearly not going to pick Manchester United — I would not even KNOW how to root for a dominant and overwhelming team like that — and I’m reluctant to take a team that SOUNDS like Manchester United. I say this because I went to the University of North Carolina-Charlotte. We called ourselves UNCC back then, but nobody know what the hell that meant (I used to tell people that we were like a Tar Heel with a stutter) and so we started calling ourselves UNC Charlotte, but nobody ever hears the second part. I tell someone, “I went to UNC Charlotte” they inevitably go, “Oh, did you go there with Michael Jordan?”
I feel choosing Manchester City as my team would be like rooting for a team called “Duke College.”
2. The last two years, the FANS at Fulham topped the Fairplay Competition. The team didn’t do the job — from what I can gather the team rarely does the job — but, that’s not the fans fault. As you can see Fulham is now running away with the poll. Fulham is very interesting to me — a London based team that can’t win and has basically needed miracles in recent days not to get relegated. I have considered that I don’t want to really root for a team that may get relegated after only one year — that does seem a bit masochistic. But, of course, my whole life has been filled with sports masochism. Fulham is intriguing.
Arsenal is still appealing. Some good friends push Liverpool. Tottenham is still in the mix and of course, Middlesbrough. Much excitement.
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From Joe: “I have considered that I don’t want to really root for a team that may get relegated after only one year.”
As a Fulham fan, that is a risk, but as painful as it can be, there is nothing more exciting in sports than a relegation battle. You’re playing not for a championship, but for something much more basic: survival in your league. As a lifelong American sports fan, I really did not “get” what relegation was until we were almost relegated last year. When we stayed up, the feeling was like nothing that I’d felt in American sports. Then, this year, to stay up when there was no reasonable hope we’d stay up, with a goal with less than 20 minutes to go, well, I can’t describe it.
Weeeee! First comment!
I know I’m gonna get blasted for this, but I submit that Red Sox fans (pre-’04 version) would have carried their teams to the playoffs several teams under this Fair Play rule.* Now, however, all the Pink Hats and $100 bleacher seats on Aceticket sicken me. The side effects of being successful I suppose.
*Obviously, this has nothing do with the fact that I am myself a Sox fan.
Oh bollocks.
I think Fair Play would be great for large tournaments — like say the Final Four. It would also be good — and is probably used informally — for Bowl Bids.
But for a professional league playoff, I wouldn’t want it. Except, *maybe* as a tie-breaker in the NFL or NBA.
I still think your soccer poll will need a runoff election between the top teams. I’d hate to see you make a commitment based on 27% of the votes. That’s how Raffy Palmiero won a gold glove, you know.
A big no on Manchester City. Not least because their owner is the former Prime Minister of Thailand who was kicked out in a coup, and was pretty clearly responsible for some serious human rights abuses while he was in charge. He’s also a nutter – hired a new coach who massively improved the team and then fired him for not immediately winning the league. You don’t want to attach yourself to that madness.
Relegation is awesome in theory, but man does it hurt in practice. Speaking as a supporter of the team that got caught by Fulham and sent down (Reading), let me tell you that adopting a team who is at risk of it is setting yourself up for a lot of pain. Maybe you want that, but be forewarned.
Quick note that Man City only just pipped Fulham for the Fair Play position, this’ll be Fulham’s 8th consecutive Premiership season, and this year we’ll win the the thing!
Ok, maybe not…
My genuine and most heart felt apologies for implying that your dedication to the Cleveland Indians throughout your lifetime is anything other than sincere and authentic. Clearly I’ve misread some of your missives, but surely you see the source of my confusion. Didn’t you mention that, while a lad living in South Euclid, you owned a Cincinnati Reds hat? And haven’t you professed your admiration for that low-life cad Pete Rose – the player that cost Ray Fosse his promising career by needlessly and seriously injuring him during a meaningless exhibition game? And I thought that I read somewhere in one of your posts that you became intrigued with the 70s Reds because a) they were the most dominant baseball team of that era and b) the Indians stunk to high heaven. Given my misreading of your work you’ll understand my misinterpretation of your loyalties.
So if you tell me that you are now and always have been an Indians fan I, as a fellow Cleveland native, must accept your declaration of loyalty on its face and once again apologize for any slight to your fanhood.
Joe, if you want to watch a “fair play” sport, check out your local KC Ultimate frisbee leagues, or better yet, the sectional, regionals and nationals that the UPA (Ultimate Players Association) puts on every year.
Sure, they’re not professionals, but the athleticism gets really great at the higher levels, and the best part about the sport: no referees! Everyone makes their own calls on catches, out of bounds, fouls, etc.
in many ways, following a relegation candidate is a heck of a lot more fun than following a contender. i follow both (if you chose teams from different countries, they never play each other so it’s like having a favorite minor league team) and with a relegation candidate, you value wins much much more.
in the relegation battle, losses are expected so every point gained is one step closer to safety. on the rare occasions your team actually wins, it makes your whole weekend. the downside to all this is that your pleasure is directly proportional to the amount of pain you may be receiving in the future…and that’s always in the back of your mind.
when you follow a contender you tend to look at games as points lost rather than points gained. the games that make your week are the ones against the other good teams (should you win.) thankfully, you’re usually in european competition as well so you’re also playing more good teams.
Re: fair play in soccer (football)
I was always struck by the sportsmanship that occurs with an on-field injury. The team with the ball immediately kicks the ball out of bounds (even when it is the other team’s player who is hurt). Once the injury is attended to and play resumes, the team that benefitted from receiving the ball out of bounds immediately kicks the ball back to the other team.
This is so commonplace as to become expected – it is almost a de facto rule of the game.
How ’bout a shout out to Lions’ fans?
They continue to sell out, despite one playoff win in my *lifetime*. And they organize, demonstrate and boo for the appropriate cause: Matt Millen (@#$!).
Good luck Joe. I am from North Carolina and hate Duke as well.
I voted for Fulham, however I don’t think you should be concerned with the possibility of relegation. In fact, that is where you would see the seperation of the wheat from the chaff, so to speak. The fans that stick around and continue to support the club are the truebloods. Imagine in your scenario, the Cleveland Browns were to be ‘relegated’ to the Big 10. Who would still be in the ‘pound’ to watch them play Wisconsin?
Joe – big fan, been reading your work for a long time. Also happen to be a Fulham season ticket holder.
You’ll love us: Clint Dempsey, Eddie Johnson, and maybe Kasey Keller; our stadium’s like Fenway and Wrigley and Tiger Stadium rolled into one AND it’s on the river Thames. We play football the right way. We’re just down the road from the most vulgar team in the world (Chelsea); seriously, this is so obviously the team for you… just close the poll.
We won’t go down next year, cosmopolitan Roy Hodgson will see to that.
Eddie Johnson was a Kansas player too, so there’s that. He’s not really a Fulham player yet, not in any tangible way, but still.
Do the right thing: Fulham for Posnanski!
Rich
My memory is failing me somewhat on this, so hopefully someone here will know what I’m talking about and can fill in the blanks.
One of the newsmag shows (I think it was 60 Minutes) did a piece a few years back on the behaviour of one European soccer (footie, whatever) team’s fans, and I was truly just horrified. What it amounted to was the worst open racist behaviour I’ve ever seen in my lifetime (and I grew up in Bama, folks), and it wasn’t just some vocal minority of the fans. It was at least three-quarters of a crowd that probably numbered at least 50,000. Every time they played someone with a black player, they screamed at him, hurled epithets, threw bananas at him, and jumped up and down scratching their underarms and making monkey noises. For a time they apparently had a black player on their own team, and he received the same treatment.
So my questions are: Which team was this? And have they ever been allowed in on the fair play thing while this has been going on? Because I’ll tell you, if that isn’t enough to keep them out, the whole notion is worthless in its execution.
Rich,
Not sure if this has made it to London yet, but Eddie Johnson should be referred to as “Grown-Ass Man” (or abbreviated in print as GAM.)
In his late-teens or early-twenties, back when he was playing for Dallas, an interviewer asked him what his favorite video game was. He replied, “I don’t play video games. I’m a grown-ass man!”
Classic. From that point forward, fans of MLS and the US National Team have referred to him as Grown-Ass Man or GAM.
Sirk
“(T)he Chiefs have not won a playoff game since 1994. They have not been in the Super Bowl since 1970.”
The Chiefs have also never hosted an AFC (or AFL) championship game. When they were getting there regularly in the ’60s, they were always on the wrong side of the rotation system. Since the win in Super Bowl IV, nearly XL years ago now, they have only played in one AFC title game, at Buffalo 15 years ago.
Snowman,
If memory serves, that was Lazio of the Italian league. They have been forced to play games in an empty stadium because of their fans’ behavior.
That’s not to say Lazio is the only offender…they are just the most notorious. Surely some of the others who follow European leagues more closely can fill you in more.
Sirk
Following a team in relegation battle can bring as much, if not more joy come the end of the season. You experience the lows so when the outcome is positive like it was for us at the end of this season it arguably feels even better than winning a cup. However, with the new manager in charge, Hodgson who basiclly saved us from an impossible position most FFC fans are hopeful of avoiding relegation more comfortably next season – God knows our hearts need it after the last two years.
Great video showing the last few games of Fulham’s ‘Great Escape’ :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xH6mXjLJLec
I know you’ve already brought up, and shot down, the possibility of choosing Kansas City as your team…but, what the hell? I mean this is actually making me upset, and I rarely get upset over anything. I think its because I read this blog every day, and because youve been posting about choosing a new soccer team every day.
Its like one time I was talking to my friend, and we were for some unknown reason talking about wine, and he used the word robusk, twice. Now he clearly is thinking of the word robust, and clearly should be saying the word robust. But he doesnt know that. He is mistaken. He is making an error.
I guess my point is that once or twice I let it go, because I didnt want to embarass my friend. And because its really not that important. But if he continued to say the word robusk, day after day, in different company, I would eventually have to speak up.
So this is whats happening here. Im not arguing for KC as a franchise, I dont know if they have a cool nickname or jersey or if they have a history of success or anything. I just know that you are looking for a soccer team. And your city has a new and emerging soccer team that is looking for a fanbase. And they play in a new and emerging league that is looking for a fanbase.
I really dont see this post as a matter of opinion. I believe that you are incorrect. You are making an error and it needs to be corrected. Because you are making the error day after day I feel it is my responsabilty to let you know that the correct chocice is KC. Its just the way it is. Maybe it would be better if we could all just choose whatever team we wanted, but we cant. If we have a team to support, and theres a pro team in our city that needs supporting, its done. Most of us dont have the audacity to believe that we even have a choice.
Now, as far as I understand the rules once you supported KC you would be more than welcome to support any English team as your secondary club. In fact you can choose a team from each European league if you want, but you gotta start with KC. You just have to.
I’ve got no rooting interest here but I’m really enjoying your process of picking a team. Will you take a trip to see a game once you choose a team?
When I first heard the concept of relegation, it made no sense to me. But, as I started thinking about it and I noticed that Organized Baseball is the most-similar American league to the European soccer leagues, I have come to believe that it could work in the US.
It could actually work as a combination system with the present system. There would only need to be a few changes, mostly involving ownership of minor-league teams and the rules about the areas teams control.
It could be designed so that a team in a league has the option of making a deal with another team as a farm team, and gaining financial security while losing rights to advance or be relegated from the league. Or, that team could go independent, sign it’s own farm teams and try to advance through the levels to the majors.
Institute that, along with rules about minimum spending depending on the level, and you could easily see a time where teams like Kansas City and Pittsburgh are forced to fight for their places in the majors while Buffalo and Indianapolis and Portland are fighting to advance.
I would love to see that system without having to resort to watching soccer.
(I’m just joking there, before people go crazy. I’m not a soccer fan, but I enjoy seeing a game from time to time. Great sports is great sports, whether it is baseball, football, soccer, lacrosse, hockey, etc.)
Hey Joe,
I can make one recommendation on a team NOT to root for in Premiership football. I would avoid Liverpool at all costs. Their fans are animals, similar to the fans in Philadelphia… only worse, if it can be imagined. They were responsible for all British teams being banned from all European competitions for five years after their hooliganism results in 39 deaths at the final game of the European Cup tournament in 1985.
If you’re not rooting for one of the Big Four, Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal (The Arse), or Liverpool, you’re going to be rooting for a team that basically has no chance of winning the Premier League Championship. But then, maybe it’s more exciting to root for a team playing their hearts out to avoid the shame of relegation.
Joe,
Stop it with this soccer crap.
A dedicated reader (and Soul of Baseball buyer)
I have a question about relegation … how long do those teams usually stay “down”?
You stay down until you get promoted, usually by being in the top three teams in your league.
One of the flaws of the system is that teams that get promoted to the Premier League are very often relegated the following season.
If professional European cycling were not in such a doping mess, I would tell you to follow cycling instead. Other than Lance winning the GC of the Tour de France a million times in a row, there is minute by minute drama since riders looking for help in a breakaway will offer bribes to riders from other teams; riders that are from the same nation will help one even though it may hurt the chances of their teams; there are multiple classifications that can be won in a race and (other than Lance winning the GC of the Tour a million times in a row) there are multiple riders competing for the win in each of those classifications; and so on, and so on. Soccer, football, futbol, whatever you want to call it, cannot compete with cycling for drama.
Since there seems to be some confusion about the UEFA Cup, I guess I’ll take a stab at enlightening folks. Don’t worry, its incredibly confusing.
Parallels to the NIT exist, but its not exactly the same. To understand the UEFA Cup, you must first understand the UEFA CL, the Champions League. Remember we are discussing club soccer here (i.e. European MLS type teams, not the U.S. Men’s National Team)
The Champions League is made up of a Group Stage that consists of 32 teams divided into eight groups of 4 teams. Each team plays a double round robin within their group, for a total of 6 games. Basically you play each team in your group, once at home and once on the road. It is regarded as the highest quality club competition in the world.
To Qualify for the Champions League:
Basically, teams that either win their league or finish near the top of the table (standings) in a strong league (England, Spain, Italy) qualify directly for the Champions League Group Stage. A few teams who don’t win their league, but finish in lets say second or third, get into a pre-Group Stage CL Qualification Round. Depending on the quality of the league, they may enter into the first,second, or third qualification round. (These rounds consist of home and away fixtures (games) for each team against one other team). Winners advance.
Teams that advance from the 3rd Qualification Round are put into the Group Stage draw. So the CL is ready to start.
Now simultaneously, the teams that either were: Knocked out during the above mentioned CL Qualifying stage, OR who finished in the range of 5-6th in their league are drawn into the UEFA Cup. OR IF they won a major CUP competition (FA Cup or League Cup). Add the 3 teams from the 3 Leagues that won the Fair Play Table (This season England had the best fair play record in Europe, so they got one Extra Slot). Beyond this some of the lower ranked teams enter a UEFA Cup qualifying stage similar to the one described above for the CL.
But wait you say, Doesn’t Chelsea or ManU sometimes win the Premier League AND the FA Cup? Correct you are, if that happens the UEFA Cup place will go to the runner up (unless they qualify for Europe based on their finish in the league), then the “extra” UEFA Cup slot goes to the next highest league team. When its all said and done 80 teams qualify for the UEFA Cup First round.
Confused Yet? But wait, it gets better! After all the qualification is settled the Champions League and the UEFA Cup we start the main competitions! The UEFA Cup plays one outright knock out round to pare the teams down from 80 to 40. This is again done by a home and away series. These 40 teams are then drawn into 8 groups of 5 teams. Because the UEFA Cup is less prestigious, only 4 games are played in this Group Phase, two home and two away for each team. The teams only play the other teams in their group once.
The top 3 teams from each group advance to the ELITE KNOCKOUT Rounds (think the playoffs). So 8 groups x 3 teams = 24 teams + the 8 teams who finished 3rd in their Champions League Group. (Usually this is called parachuting into the UEFA Cup; If you finish last in a Champions League group you get nothing). There is a winter break for all UEFA competition, and the 32 UEFA Cup remaining teams restart in the spring.
In this final phase of the UEFA Cup competition, its 4 rounds of elimination, in each round teams are drawn into head to head match ups, again home and away.
Meanwhile the teams who finished in the top two of their CHAMPIONS LEAGUE group (16 teams), are playing their own Knockout Playoff round, home and away to determine the CL Champion. (2nd round, quarters, semis, final)
The Champions League Final and the UEFA Cup Final are not played over two “legs” like the rest of the knockout, instead they are One Game only, like the SuperBowl.
So basically the UEFA Cup is like the NIT, if every team that lost in the Sweet 16 of the NCAAs, joined the NIT. And every team played home and away instead of at a neutral site.
Manchester United won the Champions League this season, and Zenit St. Petersburg of Russia won the UEFA Cup.
Next week, the Away Goals Rule! Until next time, enjoy the Euro 2008! (European Country Competition, like the World Cup for Europe Only).
Manchester city fans don’t say that they support Manchester City – They support just “city” (with the correct accent of course – sounds something like cit-eh) so it’s not a real problem.
You can’t be serious about the relegation thing working in basketball. This is similar to the question, “Can the best team in college football beat the worst team in the NFL?” The answer is most definitely, NO! The worst team in the NBA would crush any college team time and time again. In fact, the worst NBA team’s second team would crush any college b-ball powerhouse with ease for the same reason that applies to almost any sport – it’s men against boys. The worst professional team still plays at a pro-level but, obviously, someone has to be the black sheep.
As a Royals fan, I am all for the concept of relegation be adopted in Baseball. Let cheapskate David Glass have the value of his team drop from $200 Million to $20 Million when it gets relegated and see how the payroll magically rises. The dreaded term “signabilty” all of a sudden is not uttered on draft day anymore. Yeah, relegation sounds like a great concept if you are a fan of a team that has an owner that does not care about winning, a la David Glass. Or Clark Hunt for that matter, but I can’t see how relegation would work in American Football, with no minor leagues.
Fulham, by all means; they’ve won my heart over the last few years for sure. And, yeah, there’s something about the club, the fans, the grounds. The supporters have an adjective, “Fulhamish,” to describe their experience. The entire life of a Cubs fan captured in one word, really.
But I want to agree with the person above who talked about supporting KC. If you can’t because of professional objectivity, fine. Take Columbus (please… *rimshot*…). Better yet, raise your voice and ask why Randy Lerner wasn’t allowed to buy into MLS in Cleveland. (He bought Aston Villa instead).
You hurt me with Jim Norris! He was my favorite Indian as a child. Doesn’t he still hold the club record for most stolen bases by a rookie?
You should go with your heart, I think in choosing your team like I did with Fulham so many years ago.
Back then I think it was in the early seventies I simply liked their kit at the time after seeing a picture of a player in a magazine even not knowing what division they played in. I didn’t care, I just knew they would be the team I would always follow.
Like Ber said, if you go about it the right way there is no danger at all of people confusing ManUtd for ManCity. If you google “united†the football team is the fifth hit, if you google “city†it’s the fourth. So, there. There are many good reasons not to choose City as the team to support – they seem to be serious about making a bid for Ronaldinho, who is on the Gooden/Strawberry career path – but naming confusion should not be one.
The teams I support are in the German Bundesliga and in the Austrian third league (with no realistic hope of promotion), but I always thought that I’d either support Everton or West Ham if I had to chose a team in England. Both suspiciously absent from your poll. Everton is basically the best team not currently one of the top four and West Ham supporters sing a song that contains the phrase “I’m forever blowing bubblesâ€. How can you not consider those two?
Finally the fair play thing: Since it was won this year by the most useless club ever to play the game (Hertha BSC Berlin) and it only qualifies you for the UEFA-Cup, which nobody cares about, I couldn’t care less about it. Since it is awarded instead of accomplished it is rife for the kind of abuses a body like the UEFA is rightly famous for. I am not convinced that you can’t buy your fair play ranking.
Rooting for Liverpool now is like rooting for the Yankees in the ’80s. Don’t do it. All their fans talk about now is the “history” of the club and how they have the most titles in English history. They are an extremely entitled bunch, as is all of the Top 4.
Arsenal is the least offensive of the Top 4, because they develop young players and play exciting, attacking soccer. They used to play in the equivalent of Fenway, but they sold out and moved into a giant, soulless cavern of a stadium, so that costs them some points.
DO NOT PICK MANCHESTER CITY. They are owned by Thaksin Sinawatra, a horrendous dictator and human rights violator. He also thought he could fix what ailed the club by throwing money at a flashy manager and free agents.
Fulham is rather inoffensive, but they are horrible and will likely be relegated. It is no fun rooting for a soccer team that stinks, although I have to admit relegation battles are exciting to watch.
I say root for Aston Villa. They are one of the oldest clubs in the sport, and their glory days came before World War I. They had one fleeting moment of brilliance 26 years ago, and pretty much nothing since then. They play in a city that is called the “Second City” but is really more like the fourth. They play the most exciting soccer outside of Arsenal and ManU. They have a plethora of talented young English players. They have an erudite, enthusiastic manager who is known as an inspirational genius and is reminiscent of Woody Allen. They are seen as a team that is on the rise and, along with Everton, could possibly challenge the oligarchy that is the Top 4, but their fans know they will fall short and have to settle for UEFA Cup at best. And yes, they have a Cleveland connection. Oh, and they have become the first Premiership club to drop their shirt sponsor and donate their shirt space to charity. Their “sponsor” is Acorns, a children’s hospice organization in the UK.
Seriously, how can you go wrong here???
Joe, I’ll give you a hundred dollars if you never write about soccer again. Ok, ok. I’m sorry. I don’t mean to sell you cheap, but that’s all I can afford. Alright, forget the money. How about dropping the soccer thing so you don’t eventually lose readers by the drove. The last two blogs were both snoozefests. Sounds like a good reason to me. What do you say, Joe? By the way, if a hundred dollars is enough, I’ll send it to you.
Regards,
J. Wright
J. Wright, I totally agree. Maybe if you took the C-note and bought 5 copies of “The Book”, Joe would realize that the real world wants to read about real sports. Kits, Cit-eh, The Arse’s…………I’ve fallen into a bad dream and I can’t wake up.
Joe i have found your blog quite interesting in the last cupple of days since i was directed here by an American chap on the the Fulham forum. I would like to plead the case for our club really.
No club would welcome you to their ranks as much as we would. Americans are extremely popular with us having had McBride who goes down as a club legend, Bocanegra (US captain) who had the greatest chant ever, Keller who saved the day and Dempsey who goes down in Fulham folk law. The love we have for Americans can be seen by the a well supported American fan club im not aware many clubs can boast that.
Secondly along with the welcome you would receive by the fans (illustrated by us leading the vote) you would adore our ground and our area of London much more than for example Middlesbrough (recently voted the worst area in England). In Fulham you will be greeted by a vast array of welcoming pubs and bars.
Im sure you would adore Craven cottage our stadium. Small at 25,000 but now almost always full with cheap tickets 28pounds. Apart from it being one of the most homely stadiums it is also the most traditional boasting a 100 year old stand. Our ground also boasts a cottage in the corner (what more could you need) and a tree the only club in the football league to have a tree in a ground all this next to the river themes, were more would you want a hot dog and a beer.
We servived religation this year from the impossible and what a journey it was, going from the depth of dispare to elation. Staring a financial loss of 100 million and huge prestige loss our fans rose to the challenge and roared the team on to safety.
In football though relegation is a big deal, it doesn’t spell death as the standard bellow is often excellent and entertaining.
Final reason would you not want to follow a club nicknamed the cottagers.
From Aidan
NOW I NEED A BASEBALL TEAM!
Rich, that may be the first time someone has used Eddie Johnson as a reason to watch a club.
How anybody could think Joe was anything but a die-hard Indians fan growing up is beyond me. Every time I’ve read him explain the background behind the Machine book he goes into detail about growing up a devoted Indians fan when they were perennially pathetic and being grotesquely fascinated with the invincible beast of a ball-club, populated with villains and evildoers, that was playing just next door.
Joe,
As far as which soccer team to follow, I believe that you have already answered that question. Considering you love the Fair Play rule and you love the idea of relegation, Fulham is definitely for you. Other than the threat of relegation, no one has given you a good reason not to be a Fulham fan. If I wasnt afraid of jinxing them I would tell not to be afraid. I would tell you they will not be relegated next season because Roy, the manager, has everything under control (in Woy we twust). Also, Al-Fayed, the owner, has stopped spending money on lawyers to sue the Royal Family so he will spend money on strikers this summer. Welcome to the best fan base in soccer!!!!!
Joe
Just wanted to say that it’s no real sin picking one of the perennial contenders. It’s not like you’ll be rooting for ‘the favorite’; you’ll instead be signing on for the chance to watch your team play high-level football and still not win.
I got to see Arsenal at Reading and Reading at Chelsea this season. I was watching two elite teams, one of them with several name players, but what fascinated me was how Reading kept the matches so close for so long — yet there was nearly no chance they’d win. And that was my take, as an outsider, and the Reading fans’ take as well; they knew they would lose. They still talked smack (well, chanted smack), but even with the matches being close, it was clear the talent would win out.
So pick Arsenal or someone like that. You get to worry they might actually lose to the likes of Wigan (or Middlesbrough), but you’ll also get to worry whether they can beat Man U. You seem afraid to root for a champ. Well, you didn’t pick the Indians; you were a fan because you lived there growing up. No one would pick a loser. You’re a free agent.
Oh, and those two guys who complained about the soccer talk should go back to the punch bowl. Or start their own blog about how they’re not interested in soccer. They’re clearly in the minority here. So skip the soccer posts, and save us the whining.
“But, of course, my whole life has been filled with sports masochism.”
This is basically why I suggested Boro in the first place. Lose to the teams you should crush, hang with the teams who should destroy you. You can’t put a price on that kind of agony.
Sorry, you probably aren’t looking for an “or someone like that” recommendation. Pick Arsenal, because they’re the anti-Yankees. A few years ago, they had players whose names any casual fan would recognize: Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp, Ashley Cole, Sol Campbell, Patrick Vieira, Fredrik Ljungberg, Robert Pires. Their current roster boasts few international stars, but they’re still wildly successful.
Your team needs to be Arsenal. Have you read Fever Pitch? With their future in Fabregas, Adebayor, and Walcott they will have a shot to win the league for the next decade.
Joe, if you’re still considering Arsenal, might as well put Man. United back on the table as well. For a Chiefs fan, it’s a lock. You’ve got an aging coach trying to hold on to his magic (Vermeil), and a roster full of old and getting older players. Should be quite familiar… well, except Man U wins a lot.
“I know I’m gonna get blasted for this, but I submit that Red Sox fans (pre-’04 version) would have carried their teams to the playoffs several teams under this Fair Play rule.”
Oh yeah. Calling players queers and wearing T-shirts that they have AIDS absolutely EPITOMIZES fair play.
The Red Sox fans. Fair Play. You’ve gotta be kidding.
Man City? Fair play?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jg0N1hNw68o
City is the team in light blue…the victim was rushed to the hospital and survived, but that’s one of the most cold blooded attacks I’ve seen in soccer. Btw, that was only a yellow card.
They also featured this man for several years:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joey_Barton
He was finally let go last year for beating a teammate in training.
http://sports.aol.com/fanhouse/2007/05/03/manchester-citys-joey-barton-beats-the-hell-out-of-teammate/
Just two weeks ago, he was sentenced to six months in prison for drunkenly beating a teenager outside a McDonalds.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/7409943.stm
I also agree relegation/promotion is a good idea for the NBA first.
There are enough big cities to field hundreds of pro basketball clubs in the US. NBA2 would be filled with smaller markets probably, but a city like Oklahoma City with great fans and commitment can get their team up with the big boys on merit and send Seattle down instead of stealing their team in order to join the cartel. NBA Kansas City can work their way up from the bottom, and not wait for an invite.
No more drafting projects 4-5 years away unless you’re comfortable with the team staying up the next few years.
The downside would be that the cap might face some challenges and a higher percentage of revenue would be put into wages. If you do the research, you’ll be shocked at what percentage of revenue goes towards players salaries in European clubs. The ultra free-market really strains the mid-market owners’ ability to make enormous profits, but they still find a way.
As a long time Fulham fan, it’s good to see that you have an interest in us.
The Premiership could learn a lot from US sport. There is no draft or salary cap to try to ensure a balance within the league. Instead the larger teams just make money hand over fist and can outbid smaller teams for players. They can also afford to buy players just to add to their squad and whom they don’t play. This effectively limits the talent pool available to smaller clubs, thus polarising the gap between big and small clubs even further. Added to that, the European format means that the teams who qualify earn more money and thus become richer year on year, exacerbating the gap between the haves and have-nots.
Fulham is one of a number of teams that aren’t huge faceless, multinational juggernauts with global fanbases, and who have to survive each season by picking over the scraps that larger teams have chosen not to buy.
Fulham is a team that has had more than its fair share of adversity, having survived numerous attempts by unscrupulous owners to sell the club and the club’s fortunes have reflected that, having fallen to the point of almost dropping out of the league altogether.
Following Fulham means supporting the underdog, having the spirit to cope with often less than inspiring performances and having to be resigned to there being certain games which are all but unwinnable due to the financial muscle of some clubs. We know we’ll never win the league in its current format, but still we show up year in, year out. It’s easy to be a sheep and follow a winning team like Liverpool, Arsenal or Man U, but it shows more character to support a team which has the odds stacked against it.
However, it has, without doubt, the most beautiful ground in the Premier League, fans who (have to) have a sense of humour about what goes on on the pitch, who are not generally associated with the more negative aspects of football fandom and who welcome new fans to the family.
We won’t set the league alight this year, but expect a few gems either in the form of spectacular goals, unlikely wins or digging deep to produce perofrmances to keep us up. Some of it won’t be pretty and some will be downright demoralising, but it will be exciting and we will still be in the Premier League at the end of the season…I can feel it.