What makes a “Good Sports city”?
Being from Scotland, the concept of a “city” can prove controversial. It can either be a town with a cathedral, or a river, or a population of over 250,000 or something a fish wife told some punter during the Battle of Bannockburn.
Beign a sports fan adds another factor to the equation. Chicago is a great sports city because the fans always turn out. Boston is great because they win all the time. Barcelona is great because sports isn’t just a game there, it’s a lifestyle. This is all frankly bollocks…because a great sports city is one that’s tortured for so long that when they finally succeed in winning a trophy, it’s like winning 10.
Cleveland proved this when they won the NBA title this year and ended “the Factory of Sadness”. Kansas City saw their Royals make back-to-back World Series and triumphed after being the postseason bridesmaids for so long. And Leicester, home of rugby union and really shit crisp adverts, won the Premier League title. An honour that’s only been bestowed upon Chelsea, Man Utd, Man City, Arsenal and…Blackburn (it was the 90s, shit got real).
All these teams had to overcome a perceived slight either due to a lack of results or a perception of their respective city. New Orleans was the wild West but when they won the Super Bowl after Hurrican Katrina, everyone fell in love with the comeback story. The same can’t be said for this year’s champs, the Denver Broncos, who could win a title with me at quarterback. Liverpool are perhaps the most notable team to have NOT won the Premier League title. But when the fans sing “You’ll Never Walk Alone” at kickoff, don’t tell me you won’t get goosebumps. We crave underdog and feelgood stories and we hate when Golden State gets the best player on the market or when Real Madrid signs the newest superstar and plops him on the bench. We crave competition and identity, be it from the Borussia Dortmund fans forming a fucking wall of yellow or the Chicago Cubs being the most fun team to watch in baseball. It makes sports just that, fun.
In 1970, a team from the Italian island of Sardinia called Cagliari took on the titans of Juventus and Milan to try and win the Italian national title (Serie A/Scudetto). They had seen their island be called “a penal colony” and “backwards” by the mainland Italians and an easy win by their bigger rivals. However, they had a striker called Luigi Riva who despite being world class had turned down a transfer to Juventus to stay loyal to the little island team. On the day of their final home game where they secured an improbable title, fugitives were arrested in the stadium and were then allowed TO WATCH THE WHOLE GAME IN HANDCUFFS! It wasn’t just a title to them. It was worth ten.
Corey Anderson, The Bandwagon.
