I have zero time for this post, but I figure if I don't seize the
moment now while this Man United v. Man City game is still fresh in everyone's mind
it probably won't have the same impact later. Unfortunately I missed the game
today, had to work. I did however manage to sneak away just long enough to hop
on my boss's laptop and catch that sick header by Kompany.
As I was gearing up to not watch, but follow this game via twitter
(what a let down right) I was recalling all the articles I’d
come across leading up to this game. I believe it was David Hirshey who said it
best when he labeled this match as the "Gem in the Prem"
Now I've only been following the
beautiful game since 2006, but you don't need to be a soccer genius to know
that Manchester City has played second fiddle to United for quite some time now, à la Clippers to Lakers, leaving these match day fixtures mostly a
formality for the boys from Old Trafford. Light Work. That was until 2008 when
Sheik Monsour got bored and figured, “ah what the hell, I’m gonna buy a
football club today.” At least that’s how I imagine the idea impulsively flashed
across his mind. Fast forward to present day and here we are, witnessing the
fruits of the Sheik’s labor. We watched as one of the greatest football clubs
of the Premier League era uncharacteristically relinquished its eight-point
lead atop the Barclays table to their sky blue neighbors.
All of this hoopla got me to thinking about our own American
rivalries. To name a few standouts, I think of classics like Celtics/Lakers,
Yankees/Red Sox or a little closer to home Cowboys/Eagles. When you think about
it none of those probably come close to the intensity of that City/United game
that was played earlier today. I mean yeah, all the aforementioned rivalries
are heated and provide their own particular bite, but none of those fans have to
cohabitate with one another on a daily basis. I mean sure, your always
going to have that one random guy who loved Emmitt Smith as a kid and refuses
to root for his home team, but for the most part, the South Jersey/Philadelphia
community is going to root for the Eagles. (That is of course
when we’re not hating their guts)
So what do you do when there’s two home teams? How do you even
decide? Now, I haven’t taken the time to scour all the major sports and compare
rivalries, like I said, I’ve got homework. However, at a quick glance, most sports
fans in this country don’t have to make the tough decision a choosing between
two teams, let alone two powerhouse teams (sorry Mets/Clipper fans) Which
brings me to the point of this entire spiel, while there our a few markets in
this country which are large enough to accommodate two professional teams
within the same sport, the remainder markets can not. Then you look at
really any of these teams from the big leagues over in Europe (the
Prem, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga) and the proximity in which these fans are
from each other and you really get a sense of rivalries can be. No wonder there’s
always rioting and other crazy shenanigans.
Can you imagine for a second, if by some random act of God all of Boston were whisked away and set it down in New York? Or even better take all the Cowboy fans and relocate
them to Philly?! It’d be pure bedlam I tell ya. HAH! Also, I think it goes without saying, but I have no intentions
of taking anything away from our good ol’ American rivalries, just viewing them
from a different perspective is all, in light of my fútbol knowledge.
Oh yeah, and to all the Citeh fans out there, congrats, looks like
those United/City meetings just got a little bit more entertaining, enjoy the
ride. Here’s to being a little less of an afterthought mate!
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