Liverpool on the Mon

Posted By Cliff Tuttle | May 22, 2017

No. 1,324

We sometimes stop for breakfast on Sunday at a neighborhood sports bar/restaurant.  At 10 AM on Sunday morning about the only thing going on is soccer broadcast live from Europe and yesterday it was Midland v Liverpool in the Premier League.  The place was quite full, but it often is, sometimes even on Sunday morning.

Then suddenly, the whole dining room erupted in a loud roar.  Liverpool had scored.

What was going on here?  I looked around and noticed that two thirds of the people in the room were wearing bright red t shirts. We were in the middle of a convention of Liverpool fans.  In Pittsburgh.  Amazing.

Then again, why so amazing?  In the age of the internet it is easy for people with the same interest or affiliation to organize such a meeting.  Our local media never tires of reporting about so-called Steeler Bars everywhere in the world. So why not a Liverpool Bar?

Humans naturally affiliate in clans.  It enabled our distant ancestors to survive and then prosper.  It enables us to feel part of something — to share in the community.  In a clan, even strangers are our friends.  It cuts across social class, race and everything else that divides us.  It gives us a stake, something to care about, and to cheer about.

Why do we do it?  Its in the genes. The herding instinct.

Are we better off for it?  Probably.

Pittsburgh and Liverpool have a lot in common, come to think of it. It was a great center of the industrial revolution and at its peak was reputedly wealthier than London, just as industrial Pittsburgh was by some measures wealthier than New York.  Both cities became home to large immigrant populations. Both cities experienced a twentieth century decline with attending unemployment and urban decay.

Pittsburghers seem to believe that they are the most loyal, intensely devoted fans of local sports teams anywhere.  I doubt if such a proposition is subject to scientific measurement.  Perhaps you can compare the intense devotion of Pittsburgh fans with their counterparts in Cleveland or Detroit because you can count such things as shirts sold, attendance at games and TV revenue.  But how do you compare professionals to collegiate teams like Notre Dame, Penn State or Ohio State? They have rabid fans, too.

Having professional teams in a city brings it alive.  Having a winning team makes it an exciting place to be, even in Liverpool.

Oh, I almost forgot; Go Pens!

CLT

Afterthought: Liverpool is on the Mersey Estuary in Northwestern England and the fifth largest urban area in England.  Yes, its the home of the Beatles.

Welcome

CLIFF TUTTLE has been a Pennsylvania lawyer for over 45 years and (inter alia) is a real estate litigator and legal writer. The posts in this blog are intended to provide general information about legal topics of interest to lawyers and consumers with a Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania focus. However, this information does not constitute legal advice and there is no lawyer-client relationship created when you read this blog. You are encouraged to leave comments but be aware that posted comments can be read by others. If you wish to contact me in privacy, please use the Contact Form located immediately below this message. I will reply promptly and in strict confidence.

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