“It’s hard, it’s hard,” he said. “To me, it’s very difficult to understand, because if this happened in Argentina, maybe people die. Someone could die, you know?

“Here, it’s a different country, different culture. It happens in NBA, in baseball, I know, so it’s part of American life, you know? You have to accept what may happen.

“If you ask me if I like it, it’s hard to say yes. It’s very hard to say yes… but I am a player.”

In 2018, the owner of the Columbus Crew, Ant**ny Pr**ourt ,attempted to move our beloved club to Austin, Texas… that shining bastion of the hip. The quote above was from our star Argentinian striker Federico Higuain (and brother to world superstar Gonzalo) when asked his feelings about that process. He wasn’t engaging in hyperbole… it was very matter of fact when he uttered those words.

So, why was the owner of a historic, original founding member of MLS willing to rip the club from its city and fans?? Columbus wouldn’t build him a stadium with public funds. While I couldn’t find a net-worth for Mr. Pr**ourt…as a venture capitalist who looks to own football clubs, it can be assumed that it’s in the 100s of millions (if not a billions). The details of this saga have been well-documented: he overpaid for the club with the intention of NEVER staying in Columbus so that he could avoid having to pay upwards of $150 million for an expansion club (he bought us for $68 million). His real life plan was straight from the movie Major League: run the club into the ground, then move somewhere & have taxpayers build him a stadium while pocketing roughly $82 million in fees to acquire a new club!

We had hand railings in the stadium coming loose because maintenance had been so badly neglected. Tales of rats in many areas of that HISTORIC first in America stadium…bathrooms disgusting… all intended to drive attendances down further. Deliberately under-staffing the entrances to create huge lines and empty stands for the TV cameras to show the nation that we didn’t “deserve” a club.

Luckily, our fan base is a lot like the Wu Tang Clan… nothing to f**k with. We led a nationwide campaign full of real life heroes who stuck our proverbial fingers right in his eye socket, as if he was being Equalized by Robert McCall (I prefer the 1980s TV version through sheer nostalgia, but after recently viewing Denzel’s version, I may be swayed- either way, getting Equalized is getting Equalized). We kicked him right out of our state… we got devoted, local owners who built our new Cathedral & then built the greatest roster in the league with the greatest manager. We love it, but the league HATES IT. WHY??? Money, money, money. We aren’t hip like Austin. We aren’t glamorous like South Beach (good luck playing scuba gear!). We aren’t NYC, LA or whatever city in Texas. What we are is the ORIGINAL MLS CLUB. What we do is WIN & win in style (go ahead…get the ball off of us).

While this game grows in popularity here, it struggles as it clashes with the reality of the game in its historical roots. It was a game created by WORKING MEN in the Industrial northwest of England to be played by WORKING MEN after being destroyed in factories for 90+ hours a week (by owners who cared more for their machines than the very workers who made their fortunes). America is the only country in the world where football is played primarily by the upper middle class- everywhere else, it’s the game of the beaten-down… the overlooked & the unappreciated.

Today in England, this pattern is playing out too… as American owners have started to put their unwanted feet into ownership at clubs all across Engerland (misspelled on purpose, I’m trying to educate!). Leave it to capital to see the most successful league in the world in the most popular game in the world & say “I’ll be having that.” Talks of European Super Leagues that destroy traditions left-right-and center (the fans smacked that down spectacularly)… talks of All Star games (that got annihilated by ridicule)… stock buy-backs for family members that enrich them at the expense of their fans & crucially, robbing operating funds for the clubs (ask a United fan how they feel about the Glazers…or a Chelsea fan about Todd Boehly). They see these grand old institutions that have been bedrocks of communities for over 125 years as FRANCHISES like we see Burger King.. new owners only make that mistake once- then they hear from their fans how disgusting that notion is. They are CLUBS that belong to the community (hence Federico’s quote above).

The new elephant in the room of English football is Profit & Sustainability Rules, whereby clubs can only spend a fraction of the annual income on new players & wages. Makes sense on the surface- clubs need to be sustainable and live within their means. The gangster part here is that, these new rules were adopted at a time BEFORE most clubs had owners with great personal wealth (Chelsea & Manchester City). Chelsea was owned by a Russian oligarch (who of course earned his money in ethical manners) & City are owned by the royal family of Abu Dhabi (Chelsea’s owner was forced out after Russia invaded Ukraine). These owners and their uncontested BILLIONS of personal wealth were able to spend wildly BEFORE these rules were created. As a result, their financial machines are beasts unmatched by anything the Yankees or Dodgers could dream of AND, it set them up with assets than can no longer be matched due to the new rules. Now, many clubs have owners who want to spend & catch up to the Big 6, but they can’t because the rules protect the Big 6, while everyone deals with rules designed to keep them “in their place.” Clubs like Everton and Forest get point deductions for trying to be ambitious, whereas City, if treated like Everton, would be KICKED OUT of professional football based on their violations (Everton broke 1 rule, City have been charged with 119, yet nothing is done🤫).

This is what wealth does. Wealth uses generational wealth to protect further generations of wealth- rules be damned (they created the rules anyway in most situations to only benefit themselves in the first place). Wealth uses its wealth to unfairly put their thumb on the scale in their favor & then claims that it’s all down to them just working harder than the rest of us. Wealth uses wealth to lobby politicians for laws that benefit them, at the expense of the rest of us. Profit is ALWAYS more important than people. Then they finance think tanks to justify their views… go ahead, mention a $20 minimum wage & you’ll instantly hear the talking points that billionaires have CONVINCED US OF & it’s only for their benefit, not yours Brothers & Sisters (the current “prices will rise” argument comes straight from the restaurant, retail and hotel industries mouths, yet we mimic those points as if our lives would be much worse if poor people…had money).

Again, football is the most important non important thing in life, but now I’m speaking to anyone who has ever had a needed medical procedure denied so that an insurance company can meet dividend demands of investors… who always want MORE return (doesn’t matter that you suffer). This system doesn’t exist for you- never did. How many bankers were even charged for destroying the world’s economy in 2008? You know that answer… even ones who were found to have some complicity, got to walk with MULTI MILLION $$$ severances. Must be nice. I know what happens if it was me that did something that ruined the life of even one other person, let alone ruining the lives and retirements of millions (whatever you do, best not attempt to step on their scam).