Ask Not What Milan Can Do For You, Ask What You Can Do For Milan

The Curva Sud go to every match, wave their flags, bring clever banners, make amazing coreo for all to see, then sing and chant for 90 minutes to try to lift their team to victory. Well…. almost every match. Because, you see, sometimes they feel a little entitled, and want to put their agenda ahead of supporting their team. We all have been frustrated in recent years and can understand why they might ask for something in return for their sacrifices. But there is no contract to being a fan. Their support is not solicited, they chose to do those things, to spend their time and their money, and the club never promised them anything in return. As a fan, you either support your team through thick and thin, or you don’t. On Sunday, the Curva Sud didn’t. And although their presence was missed by all of the players and others, it was the members of the Curva Sud who missed out the most. Which begs the question… what is the role of a fan in these dark times? I present to you an unpopular view: Ask not what Milan can do for you, ask what you can do for Milan.

Love and devotion should be in good times and in bad

These are dark times for Milan fans. It’s not just the Curva Sud who spend their time and money. Fans from all over the world can spend thousands just to travel and see one game live at the San Siro. I know I did, and I’m saving to go again at the soonest I possibly can. The amount I pay to have TV channels that broadcast Milan games over and above my regular cable TV bill is as much or more as the Curva Sud pay for their season tickets to see the team play live. Add up the hours and hours and even some costs to keep up this blog, the comments section, the podcasts, photoshops and more, and I’m pretty sure I spend more in time and money than the Curva do, albeit with much better weather. I also watch games at hours such as 3:30 and 6 am throughout the year, or have to take off work to watch live because I am time zone challenged.

I don’t have the access that the Curva Sud have to be able to meet with the club or protest in places that will make a difference so I use my voice from here and from my podcast to help educate fans all over the world. But if I were there, I would not boycott a game. Nor would I act so entitled to receive “clarity” and “answers” because of the choices I had made to support Milan. Because all of this time and money I spend supporting Milan long distance is my choice. I have no agreement with the club that if I get enough pageviews or miss work enough times to watch the game that I am then entitled to information that is not yet available to the public. It’s not about what Milan can do for me, it’s what I can do for Milan.

Protests away from the game are brilliant, I am always about making your voice heard

I love this team. I hate this management. It’s a love-hate relationship. So when we are sliding down the table and playing poorly on top of a psychotic transfer merry-go-round and all of the douchebaggery at the top of the club, it’s easy to become angry and selfish and to want more… better performances, better players, more transparency, more clarity. I get it. And yet, if you think about it, it’s also not fair for us to be so greedy. In fact, at a time like this, our team needs our support the most. Don’t get me wrong, I will criticize and cry and scream and do everything I can to elicit some kind of change around the clock. But for 90 minutes once a week, I will support my team 100% regardless of whatever else is going on or whatever the media is making up about them. That 90 minutes is sacred, especially for a fan, and for that 90 minutes, I will hold my tongue and give all of my love to the men wearing the Milan crest... whichever one management has told them to wear this week.

So I challenge you… what will you do for Milan at this time of need? I think it’s fair to go along with the Curva’s boycott of Milan merchandise until we know who we’re going to be giving our money too. Plus, the jerseys this year are absolutely hideous, so it’s really not like we’re giving much up. But what will you do to renew your love with the red and black? Will you watch the games? Will you make coffee at halftime to propel your team to victory? Will you drink the Kool-Aid to try to keep a positive outlook when everything else seems bleak? Will you bake something yummy and amazing for each match to show your colors? (I’m told this is a win-win solution, because even if they lose, you’ve got some comfort food.) Will you donate your liver to Milan and drink yourself into oblivion to numb the pain, no matter what the hour of the match where you live?

It's not even been 3 years since they made him "one of us." And already on Sunday, they turned their backs on him

We all have different ways to support Milan. But sometimes the media rumors and social media fodder contribute to our Milan-based depression and we join in on social media to contribute to the problem rather than support our team. On Sunday, our boys showed not only some fight and the benefit of a result, but also some of their skill, too. They showed us why they deserve our love and support still, some bravery amidst all of this darkness. So maybe we can dig a little deeper, too, and find a way to renew our love affair with Milan again. After all, did anyone here fall in love with the club because a couple of old men who have both been convicted of criminal activities? I didn’t think so, so we shouldn’t be giving them so much of our energy. While this is not the Milan I fell in love with, far from it, even on the pitch, there are things to love. So ask not what Milan can do for you, but ask what you can do for Milan.

This post inspired by the music of The Cure’s “Lovesong”

Our next match is a friendly

Reggiana vs. Milan

Wednesday, March 25 • 19:00 CET (2pm EDT)