Real Madrid - 50/50 Fact 9

Real Madrid is the most popular soccer club in the world, with over 228 million supporters.

Include me as supporter number 228 million and 1.

I realize that most people in the US aren't big soccer fans and that is just fine. I do enjoy soccer however and, because Madrid will be my new home soon, I have started to become a fan of Real Madrid.

Many people talk about how Europeans treat soccer like a religion, and to a degree that is very true. People spend a lot of time praying before games and supporting their team as though their very way of life depended on it. Don't let's be too friendly to our own attitudes on sports though! In America, the NFL is a big business (though for some reason it has nonprofit status!) and has followers who are just as entrenched into their fandom as anyone in Europe.

When Rose and I are located near Madrid and I begin to watch Real on TV and occasionally go to games, I need to remember, just as I do here, that this is all just entertainment and it bears no weight on anything.

Let's enjoy sports and have fun with them, but let us also remember that they aren't the most important thing, and that a great season or a really bad one are minor things that give us opportunity to learn a bit about ourselves.

Go Seahawks!

¡Ir Blancos!