A Striking Symbol of Support

Summer in Washington, DC is an absolute nightmare for a person like me. I’m not a small dude by any stretch of the imagination, so when the sun beats down and the air gets particularly soupy, I become a veritable geyser of sweat and profanity. I consider it the “Nice 10 Months of Weather” tax that I have to pay every year. So in the summer, I keep a strict moratorium against pants outside the workplace and try to keep my wardrobe as light and breathable as possible. What’s more is that I keep my outside time to about as minimal as I can manage because, my dudes and babes, the summer just sucks around here. There is one thing that I make an exception for when it comes to my summer rules: soccer. In fact, I’ll go against my better judgment and wear a large, woolen scarf, because soccer makes me a complete dip.

A History

There was a time in the history of soccer when it wasn’t nearly this colorful.

Photo via Wikimedia Commons

The soccer scarf has a humble history. Born in England where soccer is played during the winter in open-air stadiums, fans didn’t have a way to display their team colors during the coldest matches. It was the early 20th century, and England with all its shipping and industrial economies, didn’t really have a ton of color and pep going on at the time. Underneath drab, dark overcoats was a desire to display support among the fans. So scarves designed with simple team colors were worn. This change not only allowed fans to show the side they supported, but also brought pops of color to otherwise darkened stands.

Teams took notice of these scarves and developed marketing strategies around these garments. New lines of scarves could be unveiled and sold to the public to create a stream of revenue from not only the local supporters, but supporters from around the world. Now you have scarves emblazoned with team crests, mementos for historic events or championship triumphs. A popular style that has come around recently are tournament scarves that commemorate match ups between teams as they face off for domestic or international championships. One end of the scarf displays the crest and colors of one team, and likewise for their opponents on the other side, while the back of the scarf will display the tournament that the two teams competed in. They’re beautiful, and they elicit memories of these important games.

A Personal Reflection

20 degrees or 90 degrees, I’ll always rock the scarf.

There’s something about holding on to a piece of history, something that’s wearable and distinct. When you think about it, there are thousands of clubs large and small around the world. They have their colors and crests to symbolize their team and community. For me, I have the same DC United scarf that I bought in 2011 when I first started following the team. I have taken it on road trips, it’s been drenched in dozens of beer showers at home games after goals. It’s remained unwashed, and while that sounds disgusting, I can’t bring myself to do it. Each time I drape that scarf around my shoulders, I’m reminded of the good times, the bad times, and the genuine feeling of happiness that soccer brings me. There’s a warmth and security in that feeling. Players and coaches come and go from season-to-season, but the colors and memories remain.

I took my scarf to my first DC United game, the home opener in March 2012 against Sporting Kansas City where we lost a heart breaker 1-0 by a late-game goal from then Kansas City striker CJ Sapong. However, that scarf has been with me since then from the disastrous 2013 season when wins were rare, but somehow our team managed to win the US Open Cup championship to the recent resurgence of the team under the leadership of Wayne Rooney. It’s been through tough playoff eliminations and road trips to (ugh) Ohio. Otherwise it hangs in my room waiting for its time to be needed again.

We were away in Columbus, Ohio having a nice photo op when a dastardly Columbus Crew fan attempted to spoil the fun and ravage the team pride we were displaying. That scarf above my head spent no longer than a second on my shoulders. Never again! Funny enough, Karma came to haunt them because their stadium’s score board caught on fire shortly after this picture was taken. But DC United still lost. I’m still salty about it.

One last thing I’d like to say about scarves has to do with bars. My favorite bars are the ones that have at least one soccer scarf hanging from the wall or the rafters. But the best ones cover nearly every inch of the place in scarves from around the world. I play a game every time I visit these places to guess what club or country these scarves represent. And if it’s a place that I frequent, like the Queen Vic in DC, I try to have a gander to see if anything new has been added. There are scarves that commemorate tournaments, new stadiums, players, and coaches. These scarves capture a certain sentiment of a certain time. And with no words, a story can be told that elicits a feeling of nostalgia. It’s like being in on a joke or reference.

I love the little things about soccer that bring me a sense of joy. The songs, the atmosphere, the scarves all sort of wash away the troubles and the worries for a short time. It’s like a different society where I can lose myself in the moments and hold them forever. That’s what soccer means to me. I can hold on to stories of triumph and defeat. Joy and pain. Perseverance and dread. It all lives on these colorful bits of fabric, and I’ll cherish that for the rest of my life. As always, be well and watch more soccer.

MLS So Mainstream in Portland Exhibit A: you can cop #rctid scarves in bulk at Costco. pic.twitter.com/7MmgWnWOTS

— Shawn Francis (@TheOffsideRules) March 20, 2019