What exactly makes a city "the best" when it comes to any sport? Is it the team and its success on the playing field that wins a city that designation? Is it the game attendance? How about the amount of revenue that the team generates? Is that what makes a city the best for soccer? I wonder what the players themselves would say if they were asked that very question, what would make a city the best to them? Would a well traveled warrior have fond memories of a certain stadium or arena? What would evoke those memories for him? Pictures? Tattered, yellowed news clippings? Would that city be the one where he got his first goal, his first win? Or would there be something deeper that makes the player think "yes, this is the one."?
I have never been an athlete, but I have been a sports fan, so I think that I can hazard a guess as to what makes a city the best for soccer. I hope that the athletes might agree. The answer to the question is simple: it is the fans. The fans are the heart and soul of the team, the extra player on the field, the additional referees, the unpaid coaches. The loyal fans stick behind the team when they are doing poorly, and nearly burst with pride when they are doing well. It is the fans that pay the ticket prices, no matter how high they might climb to keep cheering their team on. It is the fans that mourn the end of the season, even if their team has won a championship.
And where would the teams be without the fan? Playing pickup soccer games in a the local park after working a job that they loathe for not even a fraction of what they really make now? Would the girls be falling at their feet, would they still be shilling shoes or what have you? Would they be happy? Without the fans the teams would dwindle slowly away, for where would the revenue come from if not from the fans and their purchases of tickets and other goods?
If a team is shrewd, they know who their fan draw is and they market him to the fullest extent of his charm. If a city is smart, they do it as well, riding the wave of success when a team is doing well, making their city the center of everyone's attention for as long as possible. They will have parades, or community events to spotlight the victory- they will have as many mass media events that they can. The more publicity, the more new fans a team can win, and the more revenue that it will produce. The best city for soccer, is the one that cares, truly cares about the sport, the players and the many fans.
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