American fans love European football precisely because it isn’t like US sport

US owners were at the forefront of the push for the European Super League, even if they risked alienating fans on both sides of the Atlantic

Liverpool fans Beryl Meland and grandson Archie outside Anfield as Liverpool ended a 30-year title drought. Picture: Martin Rickett

As an American sports fan, I’ve enjoyed following the Premier League for the exact reason that it is not so American, with no playoffs or salary caps, no single trademarked Big Game of the Year, no buzzers (or guns) at the end of periods. Transfer windows and offsides took a while for me to figure out, but I am now all in. Or so I thought before this week.

I started following Tottenham Hotspur because it was a funny name for a sports team – at least to an American. Four years ago, I got tickets to a Premier League match between Spurs and host Crystal Palace at cramped, weather-worn Selhurst Park in south London. It was an experience unlike any NFL game, beginning with a train ride – no tailgating – with hundreds of other fans, already singing and drinking.