In Search of Milan Fans

This week, I tried something new on Twitter. I tweeted a request for Milan fans. Not just any Milan fans, but the kind of fans that met a specific set of criteria. I do realize it was foolish to believe I would find them on Twitter, because… well it’s Twitter. But I was disappointed that I did not find even one fan that met all of the criteria.

I didn’t really think about what people would think about when I tweeted “WANTED” and then the criteria. I think some people thought I was putting together some kind of project or job or something. But when they replied indicating they felt they were this kind of fan, it didn’t even take me more than 20 seconds to look at their timeline and see tweets which proved unequivocally that they did not meet all of the criteria.

From there, the responses were very interesting. While I felt weird telling them that no, they didn’t meet the criteria, why would they think that they did? I get that rejection can be harsh, but I made it really clear what was asking for, and it was even more clear that they were not that person. The responses were everything from no response or a kind thank you to asking why they were being “rejected” to verbal abuse and even blocking me. It was so weird, it was just a tweet, but I was surprised at how seriously people took it.

These are not the fans you are looking for

So what were the criteria? Let me break down what I was looking for:

A Milan fan with objectivity

Objectivity is so rare these days, so sad. From the ability to acknowledge a brilliant opposition goal, even though it is like a chainsaw to your heart, to being able to look at a ref call and say it was the right call even if your team is punished. Even just being able to watch other teams, even rivals, play and not call them childish names, and especially being able to appreciate the football.

Someone with a good knowledge of the game

Sadly, this is also rare. Even people who have played before have little to no knowledge of how different systems work, what the different positions are, recognizing when players are played out of position, or even really simple things like what is a pass and what is a cross, etc.

Knowledge of the rules/reffing

I rarely ever meet anyone that knows their rules or understands refereeing. I know not everyone studies or has experience reffing, but even just understanding what offside is, what VAR can and cannot be used for, or how stoppage time works… the world would be a much better place if more fans knew this stuff. It’s a nightmare talking to people when there is a controversy because there is such a lack of even the most basic knowledge.

VAR reviewable, red card, right call.

Someone who can discuss Milan intelligently

I know we live in the age of text speak and social media, but gone missing are fans who can actually read, understand, and respond to a comment or article. I don’t know if it is that people are so hell bent on forcing their personal agenda on other people (agenda, not opinions) that they ignore the words they are responding to, or if they literally don’t know what the words mean, I don’t know. But I miss having people who can coherently discuss football, and sadly, intelligent discussions seem to be extinct.

Without reducing everything to a meme or catch phrase

“Milan are s***.” “(Player X) is a joke.” We all see these kinds of closeminded, uninformed and reductive statements. Everywhere. Many of you make them. Unfortunately, they shape what people think. People watch social media more than they do the game, and their opinions are formed on the words people say, not what happens on the pitch.

Someone who suffers, but still believes

If you are a Milan fan, you have suffered. It doesn’t really matter how long you’ve been a fan, because it’s been years since Milan gave us anything to really be happy about. It is fine to express the pain, but at kickoff, we all watch together (I’m looking at you, Curva Sud.) Even if the prognosis is poor for this match or even this season, a fan like this always believes that someday, somehow, Milan will give us joy again.

Who supports Milan eternally

Unlike the Curva Sud, who turn their backs on the team when needed most, a fan who supports Milan eternally never gives up watching. Never thinks about supporting another club, switching sports, nothing. Always Milan, Milan forever.

Kinda like these guys

Obviously, I was way too idealistic to believe that I could find people with all of these characteristics. And just foolish to think they’d be on Twitter. But I was more disappointed with how many people thought that they were a match and really couldn’t be further from it. I miss the days when fans supported their teams, didn’t help destroy their mentality. When people watched the games, didn’t just watch Twitter and form their opinions from the opinions of fools. I miss when people knew the game and the rules and could discuss them intelligently. But still, I can’t help but believe there are a few of these kinds of fans out there. So I will continue in search of Milan fans.

This post inspired by the music of John Lennon’s “Imagine”

Our next match is

Serie A Week 7

Genoa vs. Milan

Saturday, October 5 • 20:45 CEST (2:45pm EDT)