Unlike in Europe, there is no vast soccer history for the clubs in the United States of America. While some clubs have existed for a while, the New York Cosmos, for example, the incarnation with Pele and Franz Beckenbauer is a far cry from the current club. So, when soccer began making its way back into the consciousness of the sports viewing public after the United States hosted the 1994 World Cub and launched the MLS, there should have been a level playing field for men’s and women’s soccer clubs to develop, and their fan cultures to grow simultaneously. However, that hasn’t happened, and the men have gained more fans than the women, despite the women’s massive amount of international success compared to the men. So, why has that happened?
First, it is important to examine the development of fan culture in the MLS. There were many iterations of soccer clubs in America, and just about all of them failed before the development of the MLS. So, fan groups were not able to attach themselves to a club and thus had a hard time forming. However, with the establishment of the MLS and the benefit of stable clubs, fan groups have begun to take shape in the United States. The oldest of these, the New York Empire Supporters Club (founded in 1995) attached itself to the franchise that is now known as the New York Red Bulls.
Information in the above paragraph is taken from http://www.empiresupportersclub.com/about/, accessed April 20th, 2015.
However, the clubs that are most known for their fans and their contributions to the fan culture of the MLS are the Portland Timbers and the Seattle Sounders. Seattle and Portland are known for their rabid fans in other sports, such as the 12th man of the Seattle Seahawks (who share a stadium with the sounders) and the rabid fans of the Portland Trailblazers, so it was only natural that these two cities would have some of the most passionate fans. Immensely proud of their cities, these two franchises have formed a rivalry that is one of the biggest draws of the MLS. The Sounders, who play in the massive CenturyLink Field, average an attendance of 43,704 that dwarfs the rest of the MLS, which is 16,037 for the 2014 season (www.empireofsoccer.com). The Sounders, with their very impressive attendance, manage to create a fan culture that is reminiscent of the culture found in Europe, but without the hooligans. They’ve even managed to create excellent tifos, as shown below.
Seattle Tifo
Image from http://rantsports.media.s3.amazonaws.com/soccer/files/2012/10/Seattle-Sounders-Tifo.jpg
Portland’s atmosphere is not quite as aweing, due to its lack of the same kind of size, but it is still excellent. Their main fan group, The Timbers Army, describes itself as “Part carnival, part mosh pit, part revival meeting, part Christmas morning, filled with people from every part of the community and every walk of life, the Timbers Army turns each game into a celebration of its love of Portland, of soccer, and of the Timbers” (timbersawarmy.org). With an average attendance of 20,806 for the 2014 season, Portland provides an intimate, yet still passionate atmosphere for soccer fans in the Pacific Northwest, while still putting out Portland’s hipster charm (www.empireofsoccer.com). This is evidenced by one of their most famous fans, the Lumberjack, who saws a giant log after every Portland goal.
Image taken from http://www.nwsportsbeat.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Timber-Joey.jpg
Now, of course, it is time to examine the fan culture of the female soccer teams in the United States. Despite the women’s team’s massive success on the international stage, the United States has not taken to female club soccer in the same kind of way it has taken to men’s club soccer. This could be due to the lack of money invested in it, with the majority of professional investment in soccer heading to the MLS.
However, that has not stopped the clubs of the NWSL from developing a burgeoning fan culture of their own. This is most prominent in Portland, perhaps the most popular club with perhaps the most popular American player, Alex Morgan. The Rose City Riveters were formed in 2013 to support the team, and are proving to be an excellent example of the fan support that women’s soccer can inspire, as well as serving as an extremely clever Rosie the Riveter reference (rosecityriveters.org). The Portland Thorns, and their fan group, are the crown jewel of the NWSL, drawing an average crowd of 13,320 per game (for comparison, with the Thorns removed, the NWSL averages 2,978 per game) (www.oregonlive.com) . They have their own tifos, and are perhaps the best supported women’s soccer club in the world. The world needs to take notice of the Portland Thorns, and follow their example for supporting women’s soccer.
Image taken from http://rosecityriveters.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/IMG_8985edit.jpg\
Thus, the fan culture in America needs to continue to grow. The MLS is providing fans of the men’s sport a growing example of an excellent fan culture, especially among the fans of Portland and Seattle. However, the NWSL, as its attendance numbers indicate, needs to follow the example of the wonderful fans of the Portland Thorns. Women’s soccer is ready to break out in America. It just needs investment, and investment will only come if fans show support for their local teams. The Portland fans are already doing it, and the rest of the league needs to follow suit.
