sblue
Member
I live in Blainville, Quebec, Canada. And yes, I am a Seagulls fan.
Why ?
I was a diehard Montreal Expos fan, my hometown Major League Baseball team when I lived in the city. I went to 25-30 games every year, with some travelling games as well (which is not a common thing to do here).
They had 1 opportunity to win the World Series in 40 years. That was back in 1994 when they had the best record in baseball, and the stadium was packed with 45,000 loud fans every night despite playing in the absolute worst baseball stadium in the league. The stadium was, in fact, falling apart (From falling concrete to shredded roof, a timeline of the Olympic Stadium's struggles | CBC News)
Then a player strike canceled the rest of the season and the World Series for the first time since 1904. Our dream was gone.
Montreal, as a small baseball market, could not afford to keep it's young star players and pay them market value, so after many struggles to find stable local ownership and build a new stadium to compete financially with the big teams, the team was sold and moved to Washington in 2005. I stopped being a fan.
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I was also a Quebec Nordiques fan of the NHL. They had a young, very promising team in the 1990's. They were never able to reach the Stanley Cup Finals, and soon, a similar fate to the Expos awaited the team and fans.
Small market, high salaries, trading away their best young players, old arena with no new modern venue planned, and local ownership unable to support the franchise, the team was eventually sold and moved to Colorado in 2003. I stopped being a fan.
-------
I have been a diehard New England Patriots Fan since 1986.
Fell in love with the team when I was 12 years old. I would watch the Sunday 1pm game on tv and listen to the end in the car ride to my hockey game on AM radio.
Soon the team started struggling, becoming the laughingstock of professional sports. They looked destined to be sold and moved, like the Expos and Nordiques would eventually be.
The franchise was struggling with fan attendance, playing in an old decrepit stadium, with no ownership support and the constant threat to be sold and moved, until Robert K Kraft, a lifelong season ticket holder stepped in and purchased the team in 1994.
The team was going to have stability. He would invest in coaching, players, and eventually build Gillette Stadium in 2001 investing 325 Million$ out of his own pocket.
And the rest is history. The Patriots went from the worst franchise in sports, almost being sold and moved to another city, to one of the most successful and recognized sports brands in the world.
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So, why am I a Seagulls fan ?
I was never a big EPL fan. The Saturday morning (EST) games were always a distraction until the first American College Football games at Noon. For some reason, I started gaining more interest in the League, and as I sat down to watch the August 12th 2017 game between Brighton and Hove Albion vs Manchester City, I couldn't help but ask, what is an Albion ?
A few Google searches later, I was hooked into the story of the Brighton and Hove Albion Seagulls. It felt eerily similar to the Patriots story.
Seeing the passion and tears of joy from the fans in the stands at that first PL game, I knew this was it. I had found the right Football team for me cheer.
So, from that first game, to Knockaert's winning goal at Palace, Jahanbakhsh's bicycle kick against Chelsea (lols), and now European football, my short journey as a Seagulls fan has been an incredible sports and life experience.
I'm not going to sit here and claim to have the same level of excitement and feelings as lifelong Seagulls fans, but I can say that I understand where you are coming from, and how you feel right now. I've lived it before, with both good and bad outcomes. And I am happy to join you on this great ride destined for greatness.
The Patriots 2001 Super Bowl win is my greatest sports memory as a fan, matched by their 2015 Super Bowl win, for only because I was there at the stadium.
The Seagulls' first Europe game will certainly be close to the top of that list.
Why ?
I was a diehard Montreal Expos fan, my hometown Major League Baseball team when I lived in the city. I went to 25-30 games every year, with some travelling games as well (which is not a common thing to do here).
They had 1 opportunity to win the World Series in 40 years. That was back in 1994 when they had the best record in baseball, and the stadium was packed with 45,000 loud fans every night despite playing in the absolute worst baseball stadium in the league. The stadium was, in fact, falling apart (From falling concrete to shredded roof, a timeline of the Olympic Stadium's struggles | CBC News)
Then a player strike canceled the rest of the season and the World Series for the first time since 1904. Our dream was gone.
Montreal, as a small baseball market, could not afford to keep it's young star players and pay them market value, so after many struggles to find stable local ownership and build a new stadium to compete financially with the big teams, the team was sold and moved to Washington in 2005. I stopped being a fan.
-------
I was also a Quebec Nordiques fan of the NHL. They had a young, very promising team in the 1990's. They were never able to reach the Stanley Cup Finals, and soon, a similar fate to the Expos awaited the team and fans.
Small market, high salaries, trading away their best young players, old arena with no new modern venue planned, and local ownership unable to support the franchise, the team was eventually sold and moved to Colorado in 2003. I stopped being a fan.
-------
I have been a diehard New England Patriots Fan since 1986.
Fell in love with the team when I was 12 years old. I would watch the Sunday 1pm game on tv and listen to the end in the car ride to my hockey game on AM radio.
Soon the team started struggling, becoming the laughingstock of professional sports. They looked destined to be sold and moved, like the Expos and Nordiques would eventually be.
The franchise was struggling with fan attendance, playing in an old decrepit stadium, with no ownership support and the constant threat to be sold and moved, until Robert K Kraft, a lifelong season ticket holder stepped in and purchased the team in 1994.
The team was going to have stability. He would invest in coaching, players, and eventually build Gillette Stadium in 2001 investing 325 Million$ out of his own pocket.
And the rest is history. The Patriots went from the worst franchise in sports, almost being sold and moved to another city, to one of the most successful and recognized sports brands in the world.
--------
So, why am I a Seagulls fan ?
I was never a big EPL fan. The Saturday morning (EST) games were always a distraction until the first American College Football games at Noon. For some reason, I started gaining more interest in the League, and as I sat down to watch the August 12th 2017 game between Brighton and Hove Albion vs Manchester City, I couldn't help but ask, what is an Albion ?
A few Google searches later, I was hooked into the story of the Brighton and Hove Albion Seagulls. It felt eerily similar to the Patriots story.
Seeing the passion and tears of joy from the fans in the stands at that first PL game, I knew this was it. I had found the right Football team for me cheer.
So, from that first game, to Knockaert's winning goal at Palace, Jahanbakhsh's bicycle kick against Chelsea (lols), and now European football, my short journey as a Seagulls fan has been an incredible sports and life experience.
I'm not going to sit here and claim to have the same level of excitement and feelings as lifelong Seagulls fans, but I can say that I understand where you are coming from, and how you feel right now. I've lived it before, with both good and bad outcomes. And I am happy to join you on this great ride destined for greatness.
The Patriots 2001 Super Bowl win is my greatest sports memory as a fan, matched by their 2015 Super Bowl win, for only because I was there at the stadium.
The Seagulls' first Europe game will certainly be close to the top of that list.
