Nice one mate.Pardon the length of this post. I value all that was said in this thread without question.
All in all, thank you for your criticism, kind or otherwise. This was PRECISELY my point in sharing this overview, albeit, it was an analysis that is superficial, novice, and “amateurish” at best. Truth be told, my passion and reverence for Tottenham is relatively new.
My Uncle Chuck served as the Chief Operating Officer for British Telecommunications of the North American chapter, and lived in London (near Hampstead Heath) for a spell, long enough (five to six years) to put his son and daughters through the American School in London and purchase Spurs season tickets through BT. He lived there in the mid-to-late-‘90s and went back home (to New Jersey) by 2002, prior to Tottenham’s resurgence in the mid-2000s. I visited my uncle several times whilst he was stationed in London, but did so each time AFTER the EPL season came to a close, so I never had the pleasure of taking him up on the seats he had at White Hart Lane. My uncle would often visit for the holidays, and oft came bearing gifts, most of which was football and Tottenham-related. So, in that essence, Tottenham became the team I favored, although casually at first. Over time, in the time I picked up FIFA, Spurs became the team “that chose me,” as one poster noted (for my cousin Kevin, who also visited my Uncle Chuck, his team unfortunately became West Ham—he was lucky enough to take in some games upon his visits, too).
Until I moved into the house in which I currently reside with my wife of ten years (in 2008), I had no access to Spurs’ broadcasts until I got digital cable, and even then, games were broadcast sparingly (through Fox Sports or ESPN). With the recent purchase of EPL broadcasts by NBC Sports Network, my love and adoration for Tottenham grew, a love that happened to coincide with Bale’s last two seasons with Spurs. All things told, I am still grasping, or at least attempting to grasp, the nuances of the game that EPL broadcasts do better with than, say, Americanized World Cup or MLS coverage might.
To address certain points you all made:
1. As currently constructed, yes, my beloved Knicks are ABSOLUTE RUBBISH. For the sake of writing this article on a NY-centric site, I wanted to build a comparison between teams fans in New York might already follow, and the Knicks and Rangers immediately came to mind based on their long histories, much of which are defined by titles won long, long ago, with middling and relatively mediocre seasons ever since. That said, they are a team worth following based on how close they get (as the Knicks and Rangers have several times these last 15 years) before they ultimately fail. I do hope the pre-2004 Red Sox comparison one poster made is fitting, as Boston has since won THREE titles post-2004. That said, some Americans follow teams based immediately on glory (unless they are Knicks, Mets, and Jets fans), and they cannot fathom a season NOT decided by a playoff, so selling ANY Premier League team is difficult.
2. My fault for referring to Tottenham sparingly as “the Spurs.” Such is the case when the Spurs of San Antonio in the NBA seep into any form of sports analysis. Chalk that up to a rookie error.
3. In America, teams are rarely referred to as clubs; predominantly, they are “organizations” or “franchises.” It is a matter of context, although I know “franchise” is a word practically never used abroad.
4. I have heard Barclays referred to as the “British Premier League” on occasion in the States, but yes, clearly, EPL, short for English Premier League, makes far more sense from your perspective abroad. Although I always thought BPL, short for British Premier League, made more sense considering the league is not merely relegated to England, but places beyond (i.e. Swansea and Cardiff City from Wales as part of the United Kingdom/Great Britain).
5. I was wholly unaware that the UEFA Cup won in 1983-84 was NOT associated with Champions League. Point well-taken.
6. The point of the Bale video was to illustrate what Bale eventually became under Tottenham’s tutelage and direction. I understand that a Spurs’ compilation involving Bale is far more fitting, but to show a Bale highlight with Tottenham and then immediately say “he is no longer with the club” is relatively counterintuitive for the purpose of the article. I just wanted to demonstrate how we took a chance on a young stud from Southampton, converted him from the backfield position, and made him a star worthy of the world’s largest transfer fee. Clearly, Bale’s talent had much to do with his ascension, but there is no harm suggesting Spurs had more than a hand in his success.
7. Sadly, when I sent my bio information to the gentleman running the site under which this article (more of a blog post, really) appeared, he changed my support from “Tottenham Hotspur football club” to “Tottenham Hotspur soccer club.” Classifying American football as football makes zero sense considering one’s hands come in contact with the ball over a hundred times a game, while one’s foot may only touch it under twenty times for both teams. But that goes without saying, and I sense I am merely preaching to the converted here.
8. With the MLS relatively in its infancy in comparison to various other European leagues, and with its being a MUCH lesser outfit than any one witnesses on the international and club levels in Europe, it is hard for most Americans to follow football but once every four years, typically during World Cup campaigns. With America’s rise in talent and popularity these last two World Cups, football is TRULY catching on stateside, but most American fans, when they have no USMNT to support, gravitate to the Real Madrids, the Barcelonas, the Bayern Munichs, the Manchester Uniteds, and the Chelseas of the world, mainly because (a) their matches were featured more prominently prior to NBC’s purchase of Premier League broadcasts two years ago and (b) some Americans much prefer winning products. Hence the bandwagon support the Cowboys, Patriots, Steelers, and 49ers receive in the NFL or the Bulls, Heat, Celtics, and Lakers receive in the NBA.
Thank you all for your time and consideration. Following this club has been such an immense pleasure, much of which has to do with lurking this website and other social media outlets.
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Nice one mate.
The Swedish league is one of the most competitive in the world actually but no one cares about it because it's not on telly. 11 different league winners since 1999.
Heh..out of the Top 5 leagues should have followed my post. Good to know though.
That's lame. We're not the biggest group, but pretty sure I could easily get a five a side team. We've got a ringer too, one of us plays professionally for San Diego Sockers (indoor).