One of the most beloved aspects of attending a sports event is the unpredictability. As the old saying goes, «On any given Sunday, anything can happen.» However, one thing you’re always guaranteed to witness is a plethora of different and unique stadium flags and printed banners supporting one side or the other.
However, the Italian Football Club Tottenham Hotspur FC is cutting down on the stadium flags they’re allowing, publicly declaring that any fans bringing Israeli flags to their stadium will have them confiscated. The football club, which apparently has a very strong Jewish following, posted the following message on its official website: «police authorities have advised that those flags showing the Star of David will not be allowed access and may be confiscated. Please respect this request.»
That being said, the exact opposite may be what it takes to put a winning product on the field. During the 2010 NFL season, the San Francisco 49ers played against the Denver Broncos at Wembley Stadium in London, England. Once-a-year the NFL has been playing a single game in England, a move that has gotten criticism for a plethora of reasons, most notably that American football fans in London don’t have a specific team to support.
As a means for counteracting the games attendances unfamiliarity with the teams and lack of loyalty to one side, the National Football League put stadium flags with the 49ers symbol on every seat for fans to wave. These stadium flags gave the «Niners» an actual home-field advantage, and the support from the English did not go unnoticed by the San Francisco players.
«Oh my goodness,» cornerback Shawntae Spencer said when asked about the stadium flags. «We’ve got to get an NFL team over here. I’ll tell you what the energy was unbelievable.» «Oh, man, I had a ball,» said linebacker and 49ers team captain Takeo Spikes. «I wish I could play a game here every year.»
When asked about the stadium flags, San Francisco quarterback Troy Smith couldn’t stop raving about the English crowd. «The people here in London are incredible people — some of the most cordial people that you’ll ever meet,» Smith said. «I’ve done nothing but have a great time since I’ve been here.»
Undoubtedly there were likely a lot more factors other than the stadium flags that contributed to the enjoyment of the players visit to London. But they were impossible to ignore to anyone watching on television. Oh, and by the way, the 49ers won the game 24-16. San Francisco scored 21 of their points in the game’s final quarter, which gave the Londoners plenty of reason to wave those stadium flags.
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