The day I was born I became a Manchester United fan. Sounds crazy right? Well, it’s true. My dad put me in a Manchester United jersey right when I got home from the hospital. To say the least, I’m glad he did. I believe that the life of a sports fan is unlike any other because of the feelings it gives you and how it changes your way of life. 

I know I speak for everyone when I say the life of a sports fan is a blessing in disguise. The adrenaline, passion, happiness, sadness, and everything else that comes with being a sports fan is some sort of social identity. In my case, my sport is soccer. 

With my dad being from England, the only sport I was ever going to like was soccer, or football he calls it. I started to play soccer at three years old. I remember going to games and not really being interested in playing. Everyone would be running around going after the ball and I would just be standing there. I looked like a fish out of water. My dad would say “What are you doing?” I would then start crying in the middle of the field. I hated it. 

It wasn’t until I was about nine years old that I started to regain interest in soccer. At that age, I would have a good enough attention span to watch games on TV. I would watch Manchester United games with my dad and it would eventually start to become a standard to do on the weekends. It became muscle memory. Manchester United is a soccer team in Manchester, England and they’re one of the most decorated teams in not only England but the whole world. My dad decided to get me a Manchester United jersey since he saw I gained an interest in the team. On the back of the jersey was the name and number of my favorite player, Robin Van Persie. I wore that jersey like it was the only piece of clothing I owned. It would’ve taken an army to get it off of me. That interest soon turned into a love for the sport. I could only think about soccer and I soon decided I wanted to play it again. 

While having a combination of three practices a week and at least one game on the weekends, I still followed Manchester United consistently. I would genuinely be annoyed if I played a game at the same time Manchester United did. Even though I loved to play soccer, it felt different when I supported Manchester United. It made me realize how much I loved being a fan and that I put so much I put into supporting the team. Every season I buy the new jerseys, I stay up to date with the team news, and I even wake up as early as 4:30 am to watch the games. In all honesty, it’s a lifestyle and I’m sure fans of other sports can relate. People who aren’t sports fans simply wouldn't understand. 

At the time, my dream was to see Manchester United play in person at their stadium, Old Trafford. On December 26th, 2016, my dream came true. I went to England to visit my family as I always do during my Christmas break. On Christmas day, I opened my last gift from my dad. I picked up a small envelope from under the tree and I saw my family surrounded around the living room like a huge herd of cattle. I opened the envelope suspiciously, but my mood immediately changed. I pulled out of the envelope two tickets to see Manchester United play the next day. I first looked up at my Dad with my mouth wide open in shock and then I started to cry tears of joy. I got up and gave him the biggest hug of all time. 

I remember waking up the next day like the Energizer Bunny. The game was the only thing that mattered to me that day. I put my jersey on and stared in the mirror. “Today’s the day,” I said to myself. I ran downstairs and got in the car. My dad soon followed and we were on the way to Manchester. In the car, we were getting into the game-day spirit. I asked my dad “What’s your score prediction?” 

“2-0 to Manchester United!” My dad says in a roaring voice. “What about you?”

“I think we’ll win 10-0!” I said jokingly. “No, but seriously I think we’ll win 3-1.” 

Soon enough we got to Manchester. As we approached the stadium, I could feel my stomach drop a little bit. I waited a very long time for this moment. We parked the car and started to walk. “You ready?” My dad says. Words couldn't even come out of my mouth to respond since excitement filled me. We turned the corner and there it was. Old Trafford; everything and more of what I dreamed of. Its presence seemed as big as a castle. First I walked to the team shop. I wanted to buy the whole store but sadly my dad didn’t allow that. I came out with a jersey and some T-shirts. Then, we got a bite to eat at the Manchester United food truck. We looked at the time and kickoff soon approached so we walked into the stadium. Getting closer and closer to the steps, it gets louder and louder. Once we got to the top of the steps, it seemed like heaven. The bright green pitch and the sea of red fans. Everyone is chanting “United, United, United!” I got goosebumps right away. 

Once we got to our seats, the time came for the game to start. The referee blew his whistle and the crowd roared. Throughout the game, the adrenaline in my body felt unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. When Manchester United scored the fans were on cloud nine. When the other team scored, the fans felt so low. However, the crowd pushed the players and Manchester United scored 2 goals in the second half to win the game 3-1. The reception the crowd gave the players at the end of the game felt unbelievable. I couldn’t imagine being a player in front of 75,000 people. I felt ecstatic that Manchester United won, but I also was devastated to leave. On the walk back to the car, I thanked my dad for creating a memory that would live with me for the rest of my life. 

Going to the game helped me realize the life of being a fan is the same no matter where you live. Everyone around me seemed just like me. It’s like a big family. Everyone supports the same, wants the same result, follows the same news, watches every game, and everything else that comes with it. Another thing I realized is that the lives of people who aren't sports fans are most certainly different from others who are sports fans. They don’t live their life the way we do and they don’t experience the things we do. Although, there’s no problem with that. It’s their choice and most definitely their loss. The one thing I can’t stand though, is when people say “It’s just a game” because they wouldn’t understand unless they were a part of the community. The life of a sports fan is a lifestyle no matter the sport and I certainly feel sorry for those who don’t experience it.