5.23.2005
The Yanks Are Coming (NYTimes.com)
EDITORIAL
Published: May 23, 2005
You would think from the way Manchester United soccer fans are carrying on about the purchase of their team by Malcolm Glazer that the royal crown jewels were on their way to Arizona to join the London Bridge. What primarily seems to annoy the Red Devils crowd is that (1.) Mr. Glazer is an American, (2.) Americans don't know beans about soccer, and (3.) he is a tycoon wringing money out of a British legend. On the face of it, the fans are not far off: Mr. Glazer is an American, Americans don't by and large know beans about soccer, and Mr. Glazer does hope to make money on Manchester.
So what? For all the legend and lore that encrust Manchester United, the days when tough local lads went out on Sunday and played for the glory of factory and city are gone. Sports teams are business, and increasingly global, and the globalized playing field has become level. ManU has more fans in Asia than in Manchester; its current roster includes all sorts of foreigners, like an American goalkeeper. And look what foreign owners can do: Chelsea, owned by the Russian oil tycoon Roman Abramovich, just won its first English title in 50 years.
(More ... The Yanks Are Coming - New York Times) ¶ 22:21
Published: May 23, 2005
You would think from the way Manchester United soccer fans are carrying on about the purchase of their team by Malcolm Glazer that the royal crown jewels were on their way to Arizona to join the London Bridge. What primarily seems to annoy the Red Devils crowd is that (1.) Mr. Glazer is an American, (2.) Americans don't know beans about soccer, and (3.) he is a tycoon wringing money out of a British legend. On the face of it, the fans are not far off: Mr. Glazer is an American, Americans don't by and large know beans about soccer, and Mr. Glazer does hope to make money on Manchester.
So what? For all the legend and lore that encrust Manchester United, the days when tough local lads went out on Sunday and played for the glory of factory and city are gone. Sports teams are business, and increasingly global, and the globalized playing field has become level. ManU has more fans in Asia than in Manchester; its current roster includes all sorts of foreigners, like an American goalkeeper. And look what foreign owners can do: Chelsea, owned by the Russian oil tycoon Roman Abramovich, just won its first English title in 50 years.
(More ... The Yanks Are Coming - New York Times) ¶ 22:21
