Before the Premier League started this year, I decided that this was the season where I’m going to become a more serious soccer fan. I’ve always liked soccer. I’ve never not liked soccer, but I often found getting into soccer a little bit more overwhelming. And it really has nothing to do with the on-the-field product.

It has to do with the fact that I live in Los Angeles. Now, everyone knows that living on the West Coast affects sporting times for most leagues. For some things, it’s good. I love that NBA basketball here ends at 10:30 instead of 1:30, as a lot of people like to complain about.

But on the flip side, I’m not really an early morning person, so college football games that start at 9 am aren’t my cup of tea. Especially since I’m a University of Maryland alumnus, and now we have to play teams like Oregon and UCLA in conference games?

This is not the point. The point is that I decided to become a better soccer fan, and what better way to do it than to go, even when you’re not a morning person, to a 4:30 am game?

And it was not really the best idea I ever had, but it was a pretty good idea. I went to a bar called the Irish Times in Los Angeles that is the known Liverpool hangout.

It’s like you’re doubling your Saturday

Look, guys, Saturday is the best day of the week, in my opinion, and it’s the day that I hold most precious out of all the other days. Let me tell you, getting up early in the morning on the weekend to watch a sports team that you root for with a community of people that root for that same team is so energizing.

That early in the morning, I had a pint of Guinness, and I had been to The Irish Times before, so it was cool talking to people that were there last time. It was cool talking to the bartender that was there last time, and even though it was my second time, I felt so welcome already. That’s a huge compliment I like to give.

And I tell you that the soccer bar atmosphere is so much different than any of the big four American sports. I often don’t feel like I could just go to an NFL bar and instantly make eight friends, but it feels different with soccer. It’s hard to explain.

So apparently the Los Angeles Liverpool fan club has been meeting for about 15 years. If I remember correctly, it’s been at least over a decade. Now, usually when I would hear something like that, I’d feel a little bit intimidated by the fact that I’m definitely not a regular. This is just my second day out here. But then I forgot one of the most important and beautiful things about sports and sports fandom: the whole thing is about community building. The whole thing is about making people feel welcome, no matter if they’re a hardcore fan or a newbie that just so happened to put on the same jersey that you like.

That’s what I really love about sports. That’s what keeps me going, and that’s why I want to keep making this newsletter. I want to keep investigating places of sports community all across the country and all across the world. It took me 31 years to truly find something that energizes my sports battery, but this, for sure, is one of them.

If you have any places that you would want me to come by in Los Angeles, feel free to send me a message or hit me up, or email me. And if you happen to see me around, feel free to say hello. I’m always looking for people to tell their stories or interview them or whatnot, so just keep that in mind. Thank you guys so much. Appreciate y’all.

As a reward for reading to the end of this newsletter, here’s one of my favorite YouTube videos recently

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nk-VVuHMlhQ

I went to a Los Angeles Liverpool bar at 4:30 AM because why not? (YouTube)