How much do you owe to your team before you become a fan? We've all had that moment happen to us, where we are having a nice conversation with another supporter of your club, and they say something like "Yeah, I bet Gonzalez gets the start." You clam up. You don't even know which team Gonzalez plays for. It's all the worse when you discover that he does in fact play for the team you wish to call yourself a "fan" of, and he started at defensive mid for the first half of last year until he got a calf injury which sidelined him until apparently this Saturday. And then you have that moment of shame we've all experienced at some point or another where you wonder "do I really deserve to call myself a fan?"
Well, do you? Who's to say? Certainly there will always be someone who has been a fan for longer than you. There will always be those more informed than you about your team and about its history. Luckily, as American soccer fans we are generally more accepting of newcomers who are less knowledgable than us, as most of us have come to the sport in the last 5-10 years. However, the kind response won't make these moments feel any better.
I've been a sports fan my whole life (my baby trick was that I could name the entire 1992 Olympic Dream Team, right down to Chris Mullin and Karl "The Mailman" Malone. Didn't have to look those up. Just remembered them.) And I've found myself on both sides of this embarrassing moment more times than I can count. I feel just as qualified as anybody to make this list of things you should know as a fan, and if you have any more you feel like I missed go ahead and say so in the comments. There's a lot of different types of fans with different perspectives on what's important to know, and I'd love to hear from as many opinions as I can get.
So, here's Roman's list of things to know to be a "fan":
Know your schedule:
Please, this is the most basic thing you can know. Know who you're playing next and when. If you want to go above and beyond, know the schedule for the next few weeks. But at the very least, when someone asks "who're they playing this week?" BE ABLE TO ANSWER THEM. This is harder in some sports than in others, but in soccer when you have just one or two matches a week it shouldn't be that difficult.
Know how you're doing:
Don't only know who they're about to play, but know who they have played and what the outcome was! Is your team top of the table? Are they fighting for a playoff spot? Are they down scrapping to extricate themselves from last place? How a team's doing is what determine's the perceptions of them. As Bill Parcells said "You are what your record says you are."
Know your key players:
I'm awful with both names and faces, so I understand if this one is difficult for you. And it's harder for some teams than others. If you're a Galaxy fan and you've got Keane, Magee, and sometimes Donovan under your belt, you're fine. But for someone like FC Dallas who has a constantly changing lineup and a different goalscorer every week, and similar names like Jackson and Jacobson, it's like studying for a midterm. Still, there are always names to know. Fan favorites, frequent scorers, new signings, should be known by good fans (not to mention the name of the manager, how else will you know whose name to curse when your team is doing awful?). Just start with a few players who really stand out, or have done well in the last couple matches. The rest will come, but starting with that foothold is an invaluable resource to build upon.
Know what makes your team unique:
This one can be defined differently for each team, but that's why it's so necessary. Know team traditions, rivalries, maybe a bit of team history. Who's that statue of at the entrance to the stadium? Has your team won a championship? Who are the supporter's groups, and what are some of their interesting chants? Does your team have a nickname or rallying cry? You can go into as much depth as you want with this, but every little fact you find out brings you that much closer to your team.
There are a lot of ways to go about becoming a better fan, so pick your favorite. Read match recaps and articles about the team in local media outlets. Read through the team's Wikipedia page. Talk to someone who's clearly been around longer about what you should know. But most of all, stand beside your team through thick and thin, wear their gear (but never the day after a big loss, that just makes you look like you have no clue what's going on), and get together with other fans to watch the matches and talk about the team. There's always a way to be a supporter, just go out and find it.
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