Note: Hey all. This is my first blog post for this site. I'm relatively new to football/soccer, so any criticism is highly encouraged.
With all the talk on twitter, fan forums, and other mediums about the Frank Lampard debacle, what is often lost in these conversations is the need for the New York City Football Club to forge its own identity and—New York City being what it is—this is not that difficult a task.
New York City has always had a vibrant culture. It is perhaps not as deadly dangerous as the old Lou Reed songs made them out to be in the 70’s, but all the same with NYC there is always a sense that we are made of tougher skin than most other cities, towns, and states. The tragic events of September 11th further solidified this into people’s minds. We’ve gained a reputation for being tough, fast talking, and unapologetically proud of it.
The problems arise more from the reliance on English football teams to promote an American football club rather than on the club owners utilizing their knowledge and skills to carve out its own place. The kit, for example, does not allow the fans (especially those not inclined to support Manchester City In the first place) to feel as if it is THEIR club. This is a problem because if New Yorkers don’t feel like the club is truly theirs, then it will not survive because nobody who supports a team of any sport wants to feel like they are ‘owned’ by another team. The Lampard situation, similarly, has created a schism between fans and brings into question the legitimacy of the club owner’s practices.
Despite this, NYCFC has every opportunity to forge its own identity and to stand alone, as NYC itself does. The most important thing though is to at least partially democratize the process that some of the decisions regarding the kit, chants, club songs, and other things that can be broadly spoken of as ‘club culture’. It is not important that the club owners get fan opinions but that the club owners really listen and act on those opinions. After all, those that run the team need the fans more than anything else. If you alienate them, then a small problem can soon become an unresolvable issue.
I believe that NYCFC has the chance to do something really historic here. It is my hope that they will not bungle it up because of club ties, politics, and greed. After all, what works for the fans will ultimately pay off for the club in terms of monetary interests. The best thing for the fans is, ultimately, the best thing for the club as well.
On that same token though, something that is often overlooked is the need for the fans themselves to actively create their own culture. In order to do that, permission is not needed. What is needed is to engage with each other and try to bring their own talents and creativity to the table. However, from what I’ve seen so far, that won’t be a problem as long as people put their differences aside and become determined to work together.
With all the talk on twitter, fan forums, and other mediums about the Frank Lampard debacle, what is often lost in these conversations is the need for the New York City Football Club to forge its own identity and—New York City being what it is—this is not that difficult a task.
New York City has always had a vibrant culture. It is perhaps not as deadly dangerous as the old Lou Reed songs made them out to be in the 70’s, but all the same with NYC there is always a sense that we are made of tougher skin than most other cities, towns, and states. The tragic events of September 11th further solidified this into people’s minds. We’ve gained a reputation for being tough, fast talking, and unapologetically proud of it.
The problems arise more from the reliance on English football teams to promote an American football club rather than on the club owners utilizing their knowledge and skills to carve out its own place. The kit, for example, does not allow the fans (especially those not inclined to support Manchester City In the first place) to feel as if it is THEIR club. This is a problem because if New Yorkers don’t feel like the club is truly theirs, then it will not survive because nobody who supports a team of any sport wants to feel like they are ‘owned’ by another team. The Lampard situation, similarly, has created a schism between fans and brings into question the legitimacy of the club owner’s practices.
Despite this, NYCFC has every opportunity to forge its own identity and to stand alone, as NYC itself does. The most important thing though is to at least partially democratize the process that some of the decisions regarding the kit, chants, club songs, and other things that can be broadly spoken of as ‘club culture’. It is not important that the club owners get fan opinions but that the club owners really listen and act on those opinions. After all, those that run the team need the fans more than anything else. If you alienate them, then a small problem can soon become an unresolvable issue.
I believe that NYCFC has the chance to do something really historic here. It is my hope that they will not bungle it up because of club ties, politics, and greed. After all, what works for the fans will ultimately pay off for the club in terms of monetary interests. The best thing for the fans is, ultimately, the best thing for the club as well.
On that same token though, something that is often overlooked is the need for the fans themselves to actively create their own culture. In order to do that, permission is not needed. What is needed is to engage with each other and try to bring their own talents and creativity to the table. However, from what I’ve seen so far, that won’t be a problem as long as people put their differences aside and become determined to work together.
