I just want to make it here clear here and now, that these are my views and no one else's
I don't know if you have noticed this across the pond, but the situation between Tom Hicks & George Gillette, is a bit like the Iraq & Afghanistan war of the sports world from an American standpoint. That's a big statement, and could mean so many things. I'm not saying that Liverpool are terrorists, I'm not saying that somewhere people are putting their lives on the line out there from both sides and dying. I'm saying that in America, the Iraq/Afghan war is easy to ignore.
Think about it. You all are having your protests over there, and making big noise, and it is now known with anyone who really follows football, getting good information, that Liverpool fans, absolutely despise our owners. And rightly so. However, in the United States no one knows what's befalling a great and mighty beacon of sport, because it doesn't directly affect them. You're not in our papers. Besides highlights, you aren't talked about on shows like SportsCenter on ESPN. Which is way more fun than Sky Sports will ever be. Your players aren't in Sports Illustrated. They aren't on Jay Leno, or Saturday Night Live. You're invisible. I say it's like the Iraq/Afghan war because the war isn't on our shores, it hasn't stopped us from getting food, water, 1080p LCD HDTVs. I mean, it's not in our faces, there's not nearly as much coverage for the amount of action going on. Men have taken Billions of dollars since before the dollar sank, and invested it in this war, and we can't even stop basic attacks like that that almost was on Christmas Day. Where am I going with this? Well, how do you compare the almost-was terrorist attack on christmas to the Tiger Woods scandal? Huge public outcry, envoking immediate change and massive publicity.
Americans tend to get swept up in things, and when we do, it can make waves. Four lads from Liverpool have already proven that. There are almost 350 million people over here. If you could reach 1/32 of them, for only an instant, you'd be reaching almost 11 million. But if 1 million of them cared enough to sign a petition, for the sake of sport, that would start a ripple, that could get them on ESPN, and spark debate. Because why can't the fans have control over the owners, because it's the fans who in some cases make a life out of supporting their team. Liverpool isn't just some high class toy to us. It's not just a trophy on the wall. It's a way of life for so many people. Liverpool supporters need to get people talking, but not with anything too radical. I mean, Americans tend to be into, symbolic gestures, gatherings, peaceful protests... in mass numbers, something like a massive bbq literally as close as we could get to Tom Hicks front lawn. Enough to fill Anfield, 50,000 Englishmen Scousers show up. That's visible.
Last year, I went to my first ever Liverpool game. It happened to be Liverpool vs Real Madrid, in Madrid. I'd never been to Madrid, Spain, Europe, so everything was new. I don't speak Spanish, and I paid 5x what I should have for my ticket, but I wanted to see a match between giants so there I was. I've been to American sporting events, tailgating in endless parking lots, grassy fields, and beaches, but I've never experienced what went on in Spain. Most American stadiums aren't within the city that their team represents, especially football stadiums. The New York Giants stadium is in East Rutherford, New Jersey which is an entirely different state altogether. So the sporting event doesn't envelop the cities here like they do in Europe. You can't hear the singing in the streets, see the red shirts, you can ignore sports here, it's invisible to anyone who isn't following the game, except for the World Series, and the Superbowl. You can't just decide to get swept up in it on a stroll through the city. I mean, while in Madrid we essentially took over Spain's version of Times Square and threw a party. I mean the city was alive that day, and that whole concept was new to me. Don't worry, keep reading, this is all coming together. Liverpool fans have this great ability to gather, most of the time with very little calamity even in the most hostile opposing fan environments. So why can't we do it without the opposing fans? Why can't we do it in America, where we can't be ignored?
Why can't we put so much pressure on Tom Hicks and George Gillette from their peers, that they have to sell, out of embarrassment and shame for what they're doing to something that lifts millions of people every week.
I mean, why don't we organize some sort of big movement... except on this side of the pond. There are fans here, but sometimes we feel a bit left out. I mean, I had to work to become a Liverpool supporter, it's not just in my face with a click of a button. Things like 'Don't Buy the Sun' was something I actually had to learn about, it wasn't something that was just known. I put a lot of effort in trying to be a well informed fan from afar, but it was difficult at first. I mean, most Liverpool fans in the US haven't found their way to sites like this. If we can organize toward one goal, and yes, take some of the little steps along the way to make it truly special. We can do something great.
Public pressure is always the key to getting things done quickly.
If we can embarrass H&G amongst their peers, we can take them down. Because these men already have everything else, why can't we take dignity?
What do you think? Maybe it's crazy, but we wont be going to any Champions League matches for the rest of the season. Maybe it's time for an American holiday. What about next season, no champions league? then it's definitely time for an american holiday. I just can't think of anything else to do, we as the fans are easy for our owners to ignore. we're almost a joke. why? because we don't directly affect their lives. they're not being asked to be interviewed by ESPN, or CBS. They're still invisible sitting on huge piles of our cash. It's not right, and we have to do something. I mean, this is the type of backdoor corruption in capitalism that Americans have been in uproar about during the Obama administration. I feel like if spun the right way, America would take this story and run with it. We don't have the money to buy the club ourselves, or the power to take over the boardroom directly. So what else can we do? People in Europe want to see us fall, that means there's a better chance of them lifting the trophy at the end of the day. But America is a blank slate, for the most part, most Americans haven't chosen a favorite soccer football team. Why can't they all support Liverpool?
You want to talk about history? How about a club saved by its fans in the modern era, symbolizing that Liverpool FC is bigger than just one person or a group of people.
It's a big idea, I know, and yes, I was near sleep when I thought of it, I might have been dreaming. But it's something, and is it so terrible to dream?
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