More Football For Americans

I am still discovering sports vocabulary that just doesn't exist in the US (and I am not referring to the lyrics of some rude songs). For instance, the UK term "derby" would probably be understood as a horse race in the US, rather than as an intense rivalry between two local teams. Further, in the US yesterday's result for the Saints (a 3-0 victory over Tranmere Rovers) would have been referred to as a "shut-out" rather than the local term "clean sheet."

Despite the numerous language differences, there are at least 4 major behavioral differences between football in the UK and its closest cousin in America, baseball.

First, in the US home and away supporters are not segregated into separate stands or seating areas as they are at football games in the UK, with police and security guards separating the two sets of fans. In America, home and away supporters mingle in the same stands. Obvioulsy this can lead in most cases to a round of (mostly) good-natured banter back and forth between fans during a game ("match"), and fights are relatively rare. In America fans of both the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox are famous (or infamous, depending on perspective) of filling the stands of other teams when their teams visit another city. I, for example, was a long-time supporter of the Oakland Athletics baseball team, and it was always annoying, and a little embarassing, when half the stands would be full of Yankee fans or Red Sox fans whenever those teams came to Oakland. Yet we sat together, and in all the years of rooting for the A's I can't remember any serious incidents among the fans. Similarly in the preseason (or in a "friendly" to use the UK term) we always had a Bay Area "derby" between the Oakland A's and the San Francisco Giants. In the last 5 or 6 years, it was especially fun as an A's fan to go the Giant's stadium and root for the A's, because the Giant's stadium was much nicer than the Athletics' ball park, and the A's often won in San Francisco. I guess the separation of the fans here makes for more intense rivalries, and probably also saves lives.

A second major difference is relegation. It just doesn't exist in America. Baseball in the US does have the UK equivalent of divisions, with Major League Baeball, and then 3 or 4 divsions below that (the "Minor Leagues", with teams rated as Triple A (right below the majors), Double A, and Single A.

A major league team in the US may finish last in its division without fear of relegation, however. Some major league teams have finished last for years, and maybe this is the best argument in favor of the UK system of relegation.

A third major difference is singing. I have heard that Southampton fans have been famous over the years for their singing, but I know that football songs are an integral part of the game all over the country. Again, however, there is no equivalent in America - no songs at all. I must admit that I have struggled a little bit to understand the words to some football songs, and I have had to go online and Google to find the words to some songs (and there are some songs I wold rather forget). Still, I think the songs generally add a fun element to the matches, and it has been interesting to see some new songs develop in Southampton just over the last few weeks. About two weeks ago I first heard a new song about the Saints' top goal scorer, Rickie Lambert, and with a little help from my in-laws I learned that the punch line is that "Rickie Lambert is a goal machine." Very nice. And yesterday there was another new song, this one to honour the Saints' new owner, Markus Leibherr. Very classy.

The final difference about football that might baffle an American is betting at matches. There must be at least 4 betting shops right in the stands at St. mary's in Southampton. The proximity of betting to the game would amaze Americans who, apart from the casinos in Las Vegas, have for the most part tried to distance sport from betting after a baseball betting scandal in the early 1900s left members of a team knicknamed as "The Black Sox" in shame. I enjoy guessing the score before a match with my partner and in-laws, but we never make a real bet because we think we would always lose. I hope we never have a betting scandal in football, but I do worry a little bit about the temptation that must exist. So, in sport, as in so many areas of life, there are both a lot of similarities and a lot of differences between America and the UK. This is what makes living here so interesting, fun, and sometimes frustrating for me.