Liberty, Equality, Fraternity.
Friends,
It’s been almost a year since I’ve written something here because things happen. You get caught up in life and some things must take priority.
And that’s ok!
I went on my honeymoon to Nashville, ate all the Hot Chicken in town and got free jello shots from a bartender who grew up in Shelburne.
My work moved into a new space in town and it has been absolute chaos trying to make everything run smoothly.
The Green went on an amazing playoff run and it took the eventual champions of USL2 to knock them out of the competition.
And of course, the President of The United States of America is trying to strongarm the global economy as the government dips its toes into the oily waters of fascism; disappearing people for writing op-eds in their local papers, alienating our closest allies, and “accidentally” sending legal citizens with no criminal records to rot in foreign ULTRAMAX prisons. Let’s also not forget their attempted erasure and demonization of anyone who is non-white and non-heterosexual.
One of these things is not like the others and it makes you wonder what is the point of soccer. What is the point of being in a supporters group for a non-professional team that only plays 3 months out of the year.
Recently the founders of Vermont Green were on the Stadio podcast, which was wonderful and you should listen to it. Musa Okwanga and Ryan Hunn talked about their feelings of disconnection from the massive global sporting empire that the Premier League has become. The expansion of the Champions League, the Club World Cup, the awarding of World Cup hosting to states run by repressive regimes. Treating fans like a cash machine as more and more and more games dilute the product on the pitch and teams routinely remove things like concessions for senior and junior tickets while charging ever more for the chance to see a game.
Why turn to sports as an escape when most professional sports franchises treat us exactly like Amazon treats its workers; unable to unionize and a bit cog in the meatgrinder with no say in how the product is made.
This is where we collectively need to take a deep calming breath and look outside our window. What do we see?
Opportunity
Those of us who support “the lower leagues” of soccer in America do it for the love of it. For pride in our community, for our friends, for our families, for our neighbors – even if we haven’t met them yet. We don’t have insatiable budgets fueled by oil barons or multinational hedge funds. We do the best with what we have and hopefully if we do well then that’s great! We build community at every single match and bring more and more people into the fold.
Speaking of community: I feel like there is this idea that unless you’re able to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars that there is no point in trying to raise any money at all. EVERY dollar raised or EVERY hour of your time that is donated is an INVESTMENT in your town, your neighborhood, your state.
The Green Mountain Bhoys teamed up with Vivid Coffee to raise thousands of dollars for Migrant Justice, a Vermont non-profit that aids migrant workers in the state.
The Proud Owls have been campaigning tirelessly since their inception to make the home games of Union Omaha a safe space for LGBTQIA+ supporters.
The Saint Louis City Punks & Riot Grrrls raise more than 10 thousand dollars for suicide prevention and mental health organizations locally in St. Louis.
New York International FC supporters and players volunteer with EVLovesNYC, which provides food to more than 70 organizations throughout New York City.
Even the Northern Guard – the self-described most hated SG in the country, provide direct donations of cloths and hygiene supplies to those who need them at Cass Park. They also donate to the Ruth Ellis Center in Highland Park, MI.
You know the people who go to matches with you. You know the people you sit next to in the stands or say hi to in the parking lot or in line for a beer at halftime. Network and organize. Find a cause that is important to your community and throw yourself into it because you can make a difference.
We are all in this together and only together can we struggle forward.
Singing, chanting, flag waving.
With love from all the bhoys.