After the Champions League final, I was walking down the street in my FC Barcelona jersey, basking in the glory that is Lionel Messi.
That’s when a red Honda Accord pulled up next to me, and the passengers inside began to tell me, using choice words, how much they hated Barcelona and how awesome Manchester United really was.
And then as they drove away, a gentleman in the back seat yelled, “Are you even from America?”
While this esteemed person is correct in saying that FC Barcelona is not from the United States, the last time I checked, neither was Man U.
Sports fandom today has evolved past regional ties. While I do follow the Diamondbacks, Suns and Coyotes, I also own more than four Notre Dame t-shirts and two different Barcelona jerseys.
I don’t have any ties to these teams. But I love watching them play, so I follow them.
I was distraught as anyone when Notre Dame lost to USC on that fateful October day in 2005. I really hoped that Charlie Weis and Jimmy Clausen would be able to bring the team back to dominance. I can name Barcelona’s starting lineup in my sleep. And I was at the Devil’s Advocate with a tiny group of other fans, glued to the screen when David Villa scored that third goal of the final on Saturday.
And in the end, isn’t that what being a sports fan is all about?
