Day 267

Blurb: It's true, Ohio against the world.

Backstory: The Columbus Crew has been in the city for 15 years and I've only been to a game once, about 13 years ago. My friend Drew, on the other hand, goes many times during the year and sits in the supporters section. This may sound surprising, but I actually like soccer and find it very mesmerizing. It's a lot like watching the ocean go back and forth, unless you're there.
Drew and his girlfriend Alice were nice enough to take me to the game tonight and let me sit in the supporters section. Plus, they brought a sign for me to carry, which you see above. There are two words to describe sitting with the hardcore fans: rowdy and intense. When it comes to being rowdy you should know you can drink at Crew Stadium. This helps fuel the fire of people yelling and jumping up and down, because let's be honest, no normal person would do that for 90 minutes unless they were drunk.
As for the intense part there's lots of yelling and dressing up. It was black out the LA Galaxy night so I wore an all black outfit and a headband made out of shoelaces. Let's just say I was woefully under dressed. 85% of the people who sit in the section have a jersey of some type and 10% come in crazy costumes that involve bright yellow spandex body suits. The outfits are only the beginning, next there are the flags. I was on total sensory overload when we arrived because there were so many things going on, I felt like a kid at Chuck-E-Cheese. People bring lots of flags and wave them before the game starts. I couldn't stop watching as other fans almost got hit in the head by these larger than life supporter signs.
Next was probably my favorite thing: the chanting and cheering. If you know me you know I enjoy being loud and look for any reason to shout. These people yell the entire game. They have a cheer for almost every occasion and many times these little ditties involve swearing. My favorite one from the night was "Shit on those bastards below." It's a catchy little song that is about a bird pooping on people as it flies by.
If you have a chance, go to a game and sit the the crazies. I'm pretty sure there's only one game left this year and it's against DC United. Make sure you drink a little before because you'll be doing a lot of yelling and jumping. And don't forget to give the usher a hug as you enter or leave the supports section. He gives everyone a hug and says "Welcome home."