Flashback: Emirates Stadium; or, the Pilgrimage of a Gunner

When it comes to sports, I generally pull for the home team - Bulldawgs, Braves, Falcons, etc. Sure, I've had a few other favorites in the past, the Packers in the 90s, the Steelers until recently. As embarrassing as it is to admit, I also used to really like the Nets, but let's be honest. It was pretty much just Jason Kidd. As it stands today, there is only one team that I hold dear to my heart: Arsenal F.C.

I don't remember the first time I watched an Arsenal game. It must have been sometime around my sophomore or junior year of high school. There was Pires, Vieira, Bergkamp, and, of course, the French maestro up top, Thierry Henry. There's a new crop of Gunners these days, and they play beautiful football. Absolutely wonderful football. Last summer, I was fortunate enough to visit Emirates Stadium. It was as close to a religious pilgrimage as I had ever come. I spent around two hours exploring the grounds, and I raided the gift shop without shame. Although I wasn't able to watch a game, I am happy to have seen Ashburton Grove in person, and this, I think, in some strange way, makes watching home games on television that much more special for me.








The man who started it all: