Fandom

                The popularity of soccer has grown tremendously within the past few years in the United States, but I have been a fan since I was four years old.  I began playing soccer at age four and played the sport until I went to college at age eighteen.  It might not have been my idea to start playing at such a young age, but it was definitely my choice to continue playing on a club team and for my high school.  I watch soccer every now and then, and I truly love to play the sport every chance I get.

                I could not imagine where I would be without soccer in my life.  Ever since I was about ten years old, I spent almost every weekend traveling with my soccer team to different tournaments. From multiple different states and all the way to Denmark, some of the most exciting moments in my life have come from soccer.  Many of my best friends are girls who I have played soccer with since the beginning of our careers.  We have been through so many ups and downs as a team that it is hard to not think of my team as family.  From torn ACL’s and broken legs to an amazing trip to Denmark with my team, we have grown so close as a group of girls and our families that I feel like my life would be completely different if I had never experienced these things.  We have all gone our separate ways since college, but it is so nice to see everyone every now and then and reunite our mini family. 

                There are various levels of devotion for fans of any sport.  Just like every other sport, soccer has extremely devoted fans who follow every game and every player right down to who made what pass and slightly less devoted fans who just enjoy watching a good game every now and then.  I would characterize myself as fan whose devotion is somewhere in between the two extremes.  I do not follow it religiously but I can also name players and some of the stats in different games.  My devotion might have been most noticeable during the world cup last summer when I forced my friends who were on a cruise with me to go inside and find a TV that might be airing the United States game. 

                Although I am not the type of fan that knows every fact about every player, I think that my fandom is significant simply because of my love for the sport.  People may say it is hard to sit and watch a 90 minute game where the score rarely surpasses 3 goals per team, but they do not enjoy the small things about the game that make the game entertaining for me.  I take notice of the amazing runs that players make down the field that don’t produce a goal but many people do not even notice those moments.   Don’t get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoy an amazing header into the back of the net and watching the player celebrate just as much as the next person, but I believe because of my history with the sport, I am able to appreciate the game more than others.

                My most recent expression of fandom was with this year’s Euro cup.  I was in Italy for the Italy v. Germany game, and it was one of the coolest experiences.  It could be compared to a foreigner watching the super bowl with a bunch of Saints fans.  They were going crazy and welcomed me when I participated in the celebration with them.  Then I also got to watch the final game of Spain v. Italy in a pub in London.  It was a completely new experience that I could associate with an old passion.