DC United Fans: As Passionate As They Come

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We all know people that are fans of random teams. For example, I know plenty of people who are die-hard Cowboys fans, who haven’t so much as ever been to Dallas (and who, of course, live in DC). Personally, I never understood why or how someone can support a team arbitrarily. I always felt like one of the best parts of being a sports fan is having some sort of personal connection to the team you support. It’s at the core of your sense of pride and what causes you to buy all those jerseys, tailgate for hours, and scream at your television set after every questionable call by the refs. Of course, people have the right to support any team they want, but unless there’s some sort of connection, I think it deprives the sense of passion that a fan needs to have toward their team to really share the glory of victory and the agony of defeat. If you want a demonstration of what I’m talking about, go to a DC United game.

I attended one recently and was blown away by the intensity of the fans there. If you’ve never been to a soccer game, watching the game can at times be a drab experience. The games are mainly full of peaks and valleys, where the exciting parts only occur in short bursts. Understandably, the parameters of the game make it difficult to maintain a fast pace on such a large field, but you would never know that if you were just sitting in the RFK stands watching the United, especially if you’re seated in the lower section with one of the clubs.

In the lower-areas, you’ll find a constant barrage of live drum-beats, confetti tossing, flag waving, and the occasional smoke bomb (although these are banned by the stadium). There are several major “fan-clubs” (The Screaming Eagles, La Barra Brava, and La Norte) that are all formally associated with the team, and have access to their own areas of the lower section to which they personally sell tickets on behalf of the stadium. It’s pretty easy to spot the various groups in the parking lots since they all have their own tailgate parties (and tons of signage) that start well before game time, and aren’t the douchebag-type to shun away newcomers just for the sake of exclusivity.

Once inside, there are constant chants, songs, and heckles for virtually every scenario of the game. Goals (especially in close games) cause the crowds to erupt and DC flags instantly drape entire sections showing support for the city. I was blown away in my experience, because for the first time, I had attended a sporting event where 100% of my time and energy was directed at supporting the home-team. There wasn’t any sitting around just to watch the game (although there are plenty of other sections for that). Even after the game was over, members from the various clubs would gather in the tunnel outside the stadium and perform drum-beats that would attract huge crowds, and often times result in several people dancing in the street to the almost primal beat patterns.

Needless to say each one of these fans has a passion for their team that goes far beyond simply watching them perform. Each one of these fans helps offer a unique experience for anyone at the stadium, much in the same way the players do just playing the game itself. I’m not even from the city of  DC, but seeing all those flags waving and all those fans swaying shoulder to shoulder in support of the local team makes me proud of the city I grew up right outside. And in the end, it’s that sense of pride that really makes it all worthwhile, at least for most of us.

udothedishes….