And back by popular demand… me! (Hopefully) This time, I’m here to talk all about my favorite sports team, Tottenham Hotspur. Following this team has been something I’ve thoroughly enjoyed over the last few years, and I would love to share this passion of mine with y’all.
Watching Soccer
Tottenham Hotspur (also called Spurs) is a soccer/football club based in North London, England. I don’t think I have to explain soccer, but I do think I need to explain why I love watching it so much. When people say they think soccer is boring to watch, I kinda empathize with them. When viewed very shallowly, only a few goals are scored per game, making the rest of the game boring to watch. But when you really, really, throw yourself at a game, you feel highs and lows that can be found in few other situations. All of this becomes amplified when you choose a team to support: every touch, pass, and tackle become their own events in the game. And when that goal finally comes—
So anyways, back to Tottenham Hotspur. Every year they compete in the Premier League, which is the best league in England. This league lasts for 38 weeks, and every team plays once a week to accumulate points. Three points are earned for a win, one for a draw, and none for a loss. The goal every year is to place as high as we can in the Premier League table, and while first place is the dream, doing so is pretty improbable this season. (Maybe one day) However, placing in the top four of the table is the next best thing. This is because placing top four qualifies you for the Champions League, which is the most prestigious competition in Europe. Currently, we are in fourth place, which is barely good enough for us to qualify.
Who makes up this wonderful team, you ask? Once you start watching you’ll eventually learn all the players’ names, but I’ll introduce some of our star players.
Hugo Lloris
Hugo is our captain and goalkeeper who usually leads the team in every game. The Frenchman is a defensive wall in front of the goal and makes these amazing acrobatic saves. Unfortunately, he got injured mid-Janurary and cannot play for the rest of the season. While this is a big blow, I have full faith in our backup goalkeeper, Fraser Forster.
Harry Kane
With Lloris injured, Harry Kane is filling in for captain. Indisputably our best player, Kane plays as our striker and has scored a whopping 267 goals for the club. He has the third most goals in the history of the Premier League, and even our rivals admit that he is world-class.
Heung-Min Son
Recognize this man? This is Heung-Min Son, our South Korean star boy. He always plays with a smile on his face—scoring goals only makes the smile even brighter. As the global face of the club, he brings fans from all across the globe, but especially from South Korea. In fact, he was considered the third most influential Korean celebrity by Forbes in 2022, placing him just behind the girl group BLACKPINK.
I try to watch every game that Tottenham play, but with timezones, sometimes games at 5 or 6 am become a bit of a stretch. However, if you’re looking to get into watching, I’d recommend watching highlights on youtube as they are easier to consume in the form of 20-minute Youtube videos. And when you’re ready for the next step, try watching a live game—it really is a different experience when you’ve got someone to root for.
My dream is to one day watch a live game in person, but until then, I’ll happily write or talk about the team. And if there are any other Spurs fans out there, please reach out to me! I’d love someone who I can talk Spurs to. Well, thanks for making it this far—I feel like I’ve just been rambling on and on. I really do love the team though, and hopefully, I’ve conveyed this feeling.
Until next time,
Ian