I am a sports fan, which is probably all you need to know about me to understand this post. I could start this introductory entry by defining what that means and how it has been significant in my life, but I think that would be unnecessary. Everyone knows at least one person like me, and therefore has a basic knowledge of how it works. I do have other interests besides sports – like many of my dedicated brothers and sisters – and I may not be quite as “rabid” about it as I could. But all that really matters is: I am a sports fan.
The influences of my dad and my older brother were crucial in shaping me as a sports fan, particularly when I first started following them. Because of this, my tastes mirrored theirs in almost every way. Football and basketball were the top sports both for playing and watching, followed by golf and hockey. Baseball was non-existent in our house, except for an occasional World Series. We watched the Indy 500 and other car races, especially after my parents got cable television for the first time. The return of the Olympics (either Summer or Winter) was cause for celebration.
To summarize, just about every televised athletic endeavor had a time when it was appreciated in our house. All save one, because it was kind of a sissy sport. Here in the United States, we call it soccer.
I didn’t like soccer as a teenager. I had been in youth soccer programs from ages 5 to 7, but then I was old enough to enter the youth football programs (that’s American Football, for anyone confused). I made fun of the kids at my high school who were on the soccer team (behind their backs, of course, because they could run much faster than I could). It was just chasing a stupid black and white ball around, as far as I was concerned. That same logic would apply to almost any sport, but that was inconsequential. I didn’t go to any of the games, and I switched the channel if it was on television. That was the extent of my soccer experience: It was a children’s game that a few people never outgrew.
Then an unusual series of events took place. My older brother went on a church mission to Chile, where they are crazy about soccer. A few years later I went on a church mission to Sweden, where they are also crazy about soccer. The year after I got home I watched the United States lose to Iran in the 1998 World Cup, which was the first time I had taken a genuine interest in a soccer game.
The year after, I watched the 1999 Women’s World Cup, when the United States won it on their home turf. Around that time I chose a team to follow in the Swedish league, which was possible because I could monitor the scores over the internet. This was a something I had tried for years with baseball - choosing a team to generate passion and interest in the game. I always managed to maintain interest for a few weeks, but the trick had never yet worked for me with baseball. Unfortunately, it didn't work this time for soccer, either.
I treaded water as a soccer fan for a few years after that. I had lost most of my negative feelings about the world's most popular sport (I was still having trouble with players taking dives and faking injuries), but it was nothing more than a background interest. This is all in retrospective self-analysis, of course, because I didn't put much thought into it at the time. Soccer was akin to boxing, volleyball, and tennis: I would watch if I happened upon it, but I didn't pursue viewing opportunities.
My interest in soccer would have stayed at that level, in sports fan limbo, if not for two key events. First was the 2002 World Cup, when the United States advanced to the quarterfinals with a tremendous victory over Mexico. Second was when Real Salt Lake joined Major League Soccer in 2004. Soccer was suddenly significant in my home town, supported by a strong influx of immigrants and other church missionaries who also "discovered" the sport in soccer-loving countries.
The events of 2006 and 2007 built on the previous success, and signaled my final transition to full-fledged soccer fan. I followed three different countries in the 2006 World Cup, although none of them (particularly the USA) did especially well. I started the Utah SportsCast with Zach (this podcast/blog is a spin-off of that wildly successful show), and we began covering Real Salt Lake in earnest. Shortly afterward the UEFA 2006-07 Champions League began, which carried me from the RSL season until the following spring.
Then came 2007, which has been a big year so far (at least as far as my soccer fandom is concerned). My personal level of interest and excitement about the World's Game, as brought over from 2006, received a well-needed boost when I rediscovered my Swedish League team. I enjoyed that so much that Zach and I picked teams to follow from other leagues, as well. In short, we built on all the established soccer momentum, just like any good coach would. Zach and I were pushing and encouraging each other, as fans, which is where we find ourselves right now. We have become soccer junkies, and it feels like it will stick this time. It could still fall, I suppose, but Zach and I have both built up too much interest for it to just disappear.
Anyway, that is the story of my "journey" as a soccer fan; what brought me to this state of mind. Zach's story is similar, but with his own personal twists. There are much more interesting things I could have written as a first post, but somehow this seemed like the right place to start. The bright side is: the posts will (hopefully) just get better from here.
