Saturday 17 June 2006
U-S-A, U-S-A! Zzzzz
The World Cup seen from Chicago
Sports Illustrated writer Rick Reilly has picked up on the difference in the crowd songs at a football match compared to those heard in American sports stadia.
Reilly says in his back page article this week that if "you're lucky enough to attend the most watched event in the universe - the World Cup - you've got to go to one of England's games. The French make the best wine, the Swiss build the best watches. But the English make up the best chants." (more, but unfortunately for SI subscribers only).
Reilly's favourite is a Blackburn ditty which goes,
"Away in a manger,
No crib for a bed,
The little Lord Jesus
Looked up and he said
We HATE Burnley."
Of course we are used to such originality and humour in grounds but these are severely lacking at American games as all you ever get is "crappy old U-S-A! U-S-A!" or at every other sporting event whether it be baseball, basketball or hockey, "Lets go *fill in team name*" Yawn.
Anyway Reilly has a new idea and Blackburn fans would have been proud. He suggests this for future American games:
"We are the Yankees!
We are not afraid!
You beat us tonight!
Thursday, we invade!"
Maybe a touch too much irony there for our American friends. ¶ 20:04
The World Cup seen from Chicago
Sports Illustrated writer Rick Reilly has picked up on the difference in the crowd songs at a football match compared to those heard in American sports stadia.
Reilly says in his back page article this week that if "you're lucky enough to attend the most watched event in the universe - the World Cup - you've got to go to one of England's games. The French make the best wine, the Swiss build the best watches. But the English make up the best chants." (more, but unfortunately for SI subscribers only).
Reilly's favourite is a Blackburn ditty which goes,
"Away in a manger,
No crib for a bed,
The little Lord Jesus
Looked up and he said
We HATE Burnley."
Of course we are used to such originality and humour in grounds but these are severely lacking at American games as all you ever get is "crappy old U-S-A! U-S-A!" or at every other sporting event whether it be baseball, basketball or hockey, "Lets go *fill in team name*" Yawn.
Anyway Reilly has a new idea and Blackburn fans would have been proud. He suggests this for future American games:
"We are the Yankees!
We are not afraid!
You beat us tonight!
Thursday, we invade!"
Maybe a touch too much irony there for our American friends. ¶ 20:04
