http://nycfcforums.com/index.php?threads/lets-stick-together-even-without-lampard.1807/
Let's Stick Together, Even Without Lampard
Most of you know me by now but if not, I'm a Man City fan from NOLA. I started following NYCFC through the Man City account and I got very excited for what this club could mean for US Soccer, MLS, etc.
Like most of you, I feel duped, embarrassed and angry. I've been on here and on twitter telling people how great this would be, how different this would be from failed experiments like Chivas USA, how we weren't a feeder club, etc. For a while this afternoon, I wondered whether I should even stay rooting for NYCFC.
People come to start rooting for sports teams for many reasons. There was a hashtag going around earlier today about why you started rooting for NYCFC. Maybe you came because they were a team in New York City. maybe you came because they were a Manchester City affiliate. Maybe you came because you just hated the Red Bulls name. Whatever.
But when people asked why we supported a team that had never played, they had a point. Those are all good reasons to start rooting for a team, but not very good reasons to stay rooting for a team. The location, the crest, the kit, the owners, the players, the coaches, etc. can all change like that. Why do people stay rooting?
Well, in my experience, it's because of the community that builds around a team. People say fans root for laundry, but that's never true. People root for a team because their friend, their father, their co-workers all as one live and die with the fortunes of a team. That communal experience in a world where people rarely leave their house or look up from their phone is so rare, so precious. That's what drives fans to stick through thick and thin with a team, regardless of the team's fortunes.
I decided this afternoon to stick with NYCFC not because of any more naivety about the club but because of the community of awesome people who loved NYCFC that I've been fortunate enough to interact with here. I've had a blast on here since March, and I couldn't imagine ditching this.
I get some people are angry and want to dump their season tickets. I understand completely, and wish you well with no ill feeling. But I hope you stay. For so long, we've been called Plastic. Now's a chance to prove them wrong. Let's stick together, despite the abuse and jokes that are coming our way.
We don't need Frank Lampard or Manchester City or MLS to create an incredible community of fans; we've done it without them already, right here. And this community is worth keeping. So please, stick around.
MikeDatTiger, Today at 6:06 PM
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What a great post from a true fan
