Ben Knight
Ben Knight writes and publishes
Onward!
The banner
So:
What turns a soccer team into a football club? When does a bunch of guys kicking a ball for some suits who sell tickets turn into … so why don’t I just let the story tell itself?
There’s this cool thing they do during the national anthem at BMO Field these days. They fire up a typical brass-band-with-strings recording of O Canada, and the fans all hold aloft their scarves and sing. But right about “true patriot love,” they cut the music, and let the fans’ voices ring out unaccompanied.
It’s thrilling. I am not, in general, an anthem guy. But this is thrilling! Hokey, sentimental and jingoistic? Sure, yup and hi there. But it also gives me goosebumps, and a lovely little adrenalin hit just before kickoff.
But this time, this past Saturday against Seagull City SC, something utterly extraordinary happened.
As the last line of the anthem rang out, Toronto FC fans in the south end supporters’ section began to raise – the banner.
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