The truth about Euro Snobs

Being a football fan in the United States is about as strange as it gets. There is a constant struggle between being a fan of the national team, Major League Soccer, and European Leagues. Some people choose to support one or all of these areas of the game and I personally support two. I consider soccer or football or whatever you want to call it by far my favorite sport and my love for Tottenham and the U.S. National is so full of passion and love that waking up at 6:45 in the morning to watch a match is the highlight of my week.

One notable omissions from the teams I follow is any sort of MLS team and this, to some, would classify me as a “Euro Snob” and that is just not right. The fact of the matter is most “Euro Snobs” that are really fans of the game (I’m guessing) do not refuse to follow the MLS because of lack of talent or excitement, but rather because of lack of accessibility.

Growing up on the north central Illinois border with Wisconsin I learned one thing as a kid; American football is all you need in life. The area surrounding my hometown is pretty much split 50/50 between fans of the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears. Every week during the NFL season is full of banter between the two sides and every weekend both teams play on local television stations. The ease of access to games on television and the rivalry between the two teams drives the fandom in the area to a level rivaling that if European football.

[linequote]Most “Euro Snobs” that are really fans of the game do not refuse to follow the MLS because of lack of talent or excitement, but rather because of lack of accessibility[/linequote]

Also in Illinois you have teams like the Cubs, White Sox, Bulls, and Blackhawks that all have rabid fan bases, so why is it that in a state full of sports passion that the MLS club, the Chicago Fire, is far behind the rest? It’s not because the United States is not a soccer country (those days are gone), it’s not because of lack of talent, and definitely not because of so called Euro snobs. The main reasons for most MLS franchises cannot seem to attract fans from outside the cities they are based in is because of a lack of accessibility and passion spurred on by rivalries.

Fans of MLS clubs like Seattle, Kansas City, L.A. and Portland are probably up in arms about that last statement, but those clubs are more of an exception. Those teams have fierce rivalries and fan bases which breed amazing excitement that makes me jealous of the those that live in the cities and get to experience match days similar to European clubs. I’ve tried to support one of the more exciting clubs in the MLS (Vancouver), because they are occasionally on TV, seem to have fans that care, and have players like Darren Mattocks that I love to watch, but it never stuck. Why?

Well for one being from Illinois and having a team from my state I felt like a plastic fan not following the Fire. I also have no connection to the city of Vancouver and the team was so far away I couldn’t go to matches without a passport and an expensive plane ticket. So the answer is simple right?

Become a Chicago Fire fan to get my soccer fix during the summer months. It is really not that simple.

First off, in comparison to other American sports and the Premier League the MLS television coverage is awful if you don’t support a club like L.A. or Seattle. I cannot remember the last time the Fire were on television and I’m sure they probably have been once or twice in recent memory, but only a couple of times per season is not enough to remain passionate. It is really hard to support a team that you cannot see play.

[fullquote]I cannot even think of who the Chicago Fire’s rival is or if the even have one. If they do I probably also do not even know a fan of that club to banter with. Whereas with Tottenham I can wear my kit around my university’s campus receiving dirty looks from Woolwich and United fans[/fullquote]

Television wise the Premier League is actually the most accessible sports league in the United States. I can watch any game I want, pretty much whenever I want, live or on a replay with not much more than basic cable. Pretty simple to see here that supporting the EPL is so much easier than the MLS. So I need to go to more games then right? Also not so easy.

With traffic figured in, the drive time between my hometown and Toyota Park, where the Fire play, would be comparable to a fan from London supporting Leicester City and driving up there to see the team play every week. Unless one has a lot of expendable income and free time, that trip is not happening very often, which makes television a much more viable option. Back to the previous paragraph, the accessible team on TV is Tottenham or any other BPL team and not the Fire.

As far as rivalries go I cannot even think of who the Chicago Fire’s rival is or if the even have one. If they do I probably also do not even know a fan of that club to banter with. Whereas with Tottenham I can wear my kit around my university’s campus receiving dirty looks from Woolwich and United fans, crack jokes at my Liverpool loving roommate about Brendan Rogers and Mario Balotelli, and telling the Chelsea fan that sits behind me in class that he’s nothing more than a glory hunter.

Arguing over sports, competition, and being rivals with someone is fun, its what drives sports on and I just really do not have access to that with the MLS. For clubs like Seattle and Portland that have fierce rivalries, keep doing what you’re doing. I love it and wish I was part of it, but the fact of the matter is that I am not and do not really have an opportunity to be.

[linequote]When I spent a semester abroad I made it to 15 Tottenham matches and even one Leicester City (the train ride was shorter than my car ride to Chicago) and one QPR match simply because I love the game and it was easy for me to make it to the matches[/linequote]

My main purpose for this article is to show how in my opinion most American fans that only follow the Premier League are not actually Euro snobs. I cannot speak for everyone, but I do feel as most of us that do not follow the MLS are not snobs that think the level of play in the MLS is below us and not worth our time. It is simply a logistical issue that makes the Premier League a much better league to follow.

I know that the players on the Chicago Fire and other MLS teams may not be top footballers, but are still great players capable of brilliant moments that would leave me in awe. Only problem is, most of the time the only access I have to those brilliant moments is maybe on highlight shows after the game has been played. When I spent a semester abroad I made it to 15 Tottenham matches and even one Leicester City (the train ride was shorter than my car ride to Chicago) and one QPR match simply because I love the game and it was easy for me to make it to the matches.

To this day I have been to zero Chicago Fire matches and I do not think that makes me a snob or any less of a fan of the beautiful game.