Growing up in Southwestern Ontario, to a non-traditional English family, football was actually a game called soccer. It was some boring sport on tv, something we played in the summer in leagues as children, and forgot about as soon as the ice came in.
In my household, we were Leafs fans - you know, that team of perennial losers who were once the kings of their sport. As I've grown up, and my sporting lust switched from Hockey to Football, the parallels of the teams I support seem haunting.
Liverpool FC: Once known as the Kings of Europe, Liverpool dominated both domestic and European football in the 70's and 80's. They are, at the time of writing, still the most successful team in English history. 18 League Championships, 7 FA Cups, 7 League Cups, 5 Champions League and 3 Europa League (UEFA Cup) titles. This all the while not winning a single League Championship in 20 years, Manchester United have won 12 in that time.
England: The birthplace of football as we know it. England considered themselves so far and above the rest of the world in terms of quality and ability, they didn't join FIFA until 1906, left in 1928 and rejoined in 1946 - taking part in their first World Cup in 1950. That one successful World Cup victory in 1966 was the culmination of the English game, they have since never been able to replicate that success - despite the hype built upon many of the permutations of the team ever since.
Is this genetics? Is it destiny? Is is just my own self loathing, that finds myself chasing after things that just may never come to be? Who knows. But finally this year, there is no pressure on England to do well, in fact most people wouldn't be surprised to see them get knocked out of the group stages. I am one of them.
Regardless of the outcome, I will pull the ever present Leafs fans favourite line "There's always next year", well in this case, next tournament. Maybe. If they Mayans are wrong.
In my household, we were Leafs fans - you know, that team of perennial losers who were once the kings of their sport. As I've grown up, and my sporting lust switched from Hockey to Football, the parallels of the teams I support seem haunting.
Liverpool FC: Once known as the Kings of Europe, Liverpool dominated both domestic and European football in the 70's and 80's. They are, at the time of writing, still the most successful team in English history. 18 League Championships, 7 FA Cups, 7 League Cups, 5 Champions League and 3 Europa League (UEFA Cup) titles. This all the while not winning a single League Championship in 20 years, Manchester United have won 12 in that time.
England: The birthplace of football as we know it. England considered themselves so far and above the rest of the world in terms of quality and ability, they didn't join FIFA until 1906, left in 1928 and rejoined in 1946 - taking part in their first World Cup in 1950. That one successful World Cup victory in 1966 was the culmination of the English game, they have since never been able to replicate that success - despite the hype built upon many of the permutations of the team ever since.
Is this genetics? Is it destiny? Is is just my own self loathing, that finds myself chasing after things that just may never come to be? Who knows. But finally this year, there is no pressure on England to do well, in fact most people wouldn't be surprised to see them get knocked out of the group stages. I am one of them.
Regardless of the outcome, I will pull the ever present Leafs fans favourite line "There's always next year", well in this case, next tournament. Maybe. If they Mayans are wrong.
