Why We Shouldn’t Take The Heart And Soul From Our Game

Article by Mike NicosiaI’m writing this, my first ever guest article for RMTV, in response to the news that La Liga is moving stateside for some of their competitive games. I suppose games held in Los Angeles will be called L.A. Liga???Of course when I saw it announced I donned the latex gloves and waded through the comments sections to probe the temperature of the fans. Internet comment sections are a dangerous place mired with contemptible little creatures spouting vacuous shite as if it were carried down the mountain by Moses himself. But I have to say the response has been generally encouraging.The majority of fans see this as a bad move. I am not addressing that population of the fanbase. Instead I’m addressing the foreign fans that I saw in the comments section who actually laud it as a good business move and thus should be done without question.As a British Liverpool fan living in the US, being a fan and being a part of this community has helped me a lot through the hardships of expatriating and starting out a new life alone. It gave me an anchor and made me feel a part of something special and so of course I’d love to see the team live and especially in a competitive game. Luckily, I have just the solution.Watch a game while visiting family. Ok, ok, that is a very specific solution for my specific problem. But fact is if foreign fans want to experience a proper game you’ve got to go to a competitive game in the UK. The atmosphere as good as it has been on preseason friendlies just isn’t the same as those big European Anfield nights, or rainy evenings at Selhurst Park or under the Manc gloom as Mo Salah tears Jose’s boys a new one and celebrates Stevie style with a kiss to the camera.Indulgent fantasy aside, you just can’t beat the power of the Kop and I promise you, you will NEVER forget walking up the steps and laying eyes on the pitch and the crowd for the very first time. Think??? losing your virginity but without the anti-climax.Our football clubs aren’t like American sports franchises. Franchises that move cities. Games that have scheduled ad breaks. Charging fans $1000s of dollars for a ticket to a single game whenever the LA Lakers play Golden State Warriors this NBA season. Football in England was always for working class people and for all the will in the world the teams haven’t completely priced us fans out of watching them??? yet.These are clubs with values and deep deep deep roots in their cities and in their local communities. Sure, these clubs are businesses and want to turn a profit, but not at the expense of their heritage, tradition, and the generations of local fans who stood by them through thick and thin, hell and high water, the good times and the bad.Regardless of the logistical implications, time-zones, destinations, which games, local season ticket holders etc. the Premier League as an institution needs to hold strong against the capitalistic pull and lure of playing games stateside and keep the league where it belongs. Home.Article by Mike Nicosia