aeolianblues

I’m only into football for my Scottish friends when they’re clearly enjoying an English team in agony. I’m only into football when my Welsh friends are experiencing untold euphoria seeing Wales qualify for their first major international tournament since 1958 (Euro 16). I’m only into football when I’m arm-in-arm with Canadian MNT fans in tears watching a team and community build around us in realtime. I’m a football fan when I’m on a plane back from New York watching a sea of red jerseys say, we never had a chance against Argentina, but I admire the way they hung on (Copa 24). I am into football when we see decades of advocacy finally give women a half shot at equal footing and create fans out of little girls and heroes out of the women on the field. I am only a football fan in the way Carlos O’Connell went on telly in the UK wearing his native España jersey the day after England lost the Euros. Icon and legend.

For a second I was like ‘Argentina playing so bad Shakira had to change flags and come help them??’ And then I remembered football sometimes has a little light entertainment section

YO my whole entire flight this morning is just Canadians leaving NY after Copa

’tis about. The participation.

If American comms keep saying ‘semai finals’ I’ll have to revoke their right to host 2026

May I say, I’ve never had a home team be in a major tournament (except that one time India was ranked like 150th and was in some World Cup qualifier a few years ago), so I’m just. Happy to be here :) (there’s no chance in hell we’re winning, you don’t have to tell me)

Pros of Copa: I finally have a team I can support! And hope that they have a chance in hell of beating like. Argentina :)) it's also in my time zone! Wahoo!

Cons: I need to endure americans saying 'semai finals' repeatedly

allaying disappointment with Euros results by reminding myself, Canada are in the Copa semifinals!!!!!

the whiplash of this tournament has been going into the Euro 2024 tag and being full-face blasted with pictures of the English royals, like how bad in life do you have to fuck up to end up stanning the monarchy and spamming football tags with their faces because they attended one (1) football match with maximum security

low-key I’m just glad that players aren’t going to get racially abused tonight

good evening to Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic

—Grian Chatten on his relationship with poetry and football, ABC’s ‘Take 5’ programme, Feb 2023

I'm being so serious when I say that the US' understanding of international geography, culture and politics would increase tenfold if they as a nation were more exposed to or interested in world sport. If US Americans paid attention to international football (soccer) they'd 100% know where Ecuador is. If they were keen on watching pre/post match interviews and analyses they'd know that Brazilians speak Portuguese. If they went/had friends who travelled for away games to Chile they'd know more about Chilean politics and would even be sympathetic to events happening outside the US.

"World champions" = 10 US cities + Toronto; "we only watch HOCKEY because it's a MAN'S sport and sahccer players are WEAK" nah. Bullshit narrative. Your people in power probably know the power of sports in connecting and educating people, bringing them together in solidarity over shared powerful moments of sporting emotion.

"I'm sorry but most Americans aren't ever able to leave their state or travel" —international sport. I know an ungodly amount about New Zealand and it's not because I've ever been there, it's because I'm obsessed with their cricket team