Go Lilywhites!
Bill Simmons' decision to start rooting for a (as of yet undetermined) team in the Premiership (that's proper football, a.k.a. soccer, for you uncultured vermin out there) seems to have helped spark a minor revolution. I've seen several other blogs (most notably The Mighty MJD) ruminating over how they would decide which Premiership team they'd be getting behind. Well, I'm already one step ahead of them, having decided over a week ago on Tottenham.
Why Tottenham, you ask? Simple. Siobhan told me to.
Okay, its a little more complicated than that. She simply suggested I look into the Hotspurs (or, as they are affectionately known, the "Lilywhites") and, after doing a little Wikipedia research I decided to go for it, based on the extremely arbitrary critereon that their name was also that of a Shakespearian character I'd really like to play someday.
I've found that, in situations like this one, its always best to use as arbitrary a method as possible when choosing a new team. Frankly, the way most of my favorite teams were chosen was simply by proximity to my place of residence, which is as arbitrary as anything else if you think about it. Especially when you consider that, at the time, the "Washington" Capitals played in Landover, MD. So why should I get the luxury of picking the team I would like the most just because I came late to the party? Would I like to have rooted for France during the World Cup? Yeah, it would have been nice. I genuinely liked Zinedine Zidane. But, I had already decided that Portugal was my team, on the fact that my good friend Chris is part Portugese. I then found myself defending indefensible bullshit flopping by the Portugese team. And defending the indefensible in the name of team loyalty is what being a fan is all about.
(Siobhan's note: I am in no way a Tottenham fan. I back the mighty Liverpool Reds, but I thought it would be fun if Biff were to cheer for the Lilywhites because they are the natural rivals of Arsenal. And for reasons that pass understanding, you can't swing a dead cat around here without hitting a Gunners fan. BTW - what the hell kind of name is lilywhites? Sounds awfully pussy to me. Biff's fucking Portuguese team summarily ran through my Dutch and English teams and for that I hate him a little)
Update: Simmons has picked the Hotspurs as his new EPL team. Let the record show that I was here first.
Labels: Bill Simmons, proper football, Tottenham Hotspur
posted by Kevin @ 2:30:00 PM
8 Comments:
Seems like Tottenham's a popular choice among new EPL fans... I don't know if that makes my choice harder or easier.
So Siobhan: Who should I root for?
I know nothing about the EPL at all. In fact I watched a Tivo'd Liverpool/Arsenal match about a month ago on EPL Classic (or whatever it's called on DirectTV) and I was rather impressed (So is that what good soccer looks like?)
I, like the SportsGuy, am curious if I can make this stick. To date I've got 3 WorldCups watched and 2 years of AYSO played to my resume...and soccer still has yet to take.
Since the other 5.5 billion people on the planet like it, I'll keep giving it a chance...but I'm gonna need a little help.
T: It depends on if you want your team to win or if you're happy with middle-of-the table play from your boys. Just stay away from Man U. They're a combination of the worst elements of the Yankees and "America's Team"-era Cowboys.
A good choice is Arsenal or Liverpool. They're on TV a lot so you get to know the players well enough to start to really like them. Everyone seems to hate Chelsea, but, despite spending mind-bogglingly large sums of money on players, they still haven't really won much.
I dunno. Do what Biff did and read up in the teams on wikipedia.
I'd love it if you'd go with the Mighty Reds.
No, no, no... Pick the most random, arbitrary thing you possibly can and use that as your basis for picking a team.
Like I said, my decision was based entirely on the fact that "Hotspur" is the name of a character in Henry IV, Part 1.
I'm an Everton fan because that was the only team that would sign me in FIFA after I ran DC United into the ground. GO BLUE!
You were there first? That's pretty rich, there, Biff. You had to ask me whom to cheer for.
Oh, and no more commenting on my own blog. Feels weird.
I've decided to become a Bolton Wanderers fan. If they screw up, I can call them no-talent assclowns. That was my entire reasoning.
"No talent ass-clowns" - unfortunately, many of the teams I support in all sports frequently resemble that remark.
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