Old Trafford, a stadium mistakenly bombed by the Nazis in WWII, was the number one trending term on Twitter worldwide for a good portion of Sunday afternoon.
Obviously, that’s all in the past now as the rescheduled game has been played and life has moved on, but in case you want to know what it was like to actually be there, to be on the ground when all the madness ensued, I did a full recap of that for the Chicago Tribune RedEye edition, and you can read here at this link.
I also posted a lot of photos of the scene at this link, so check those out when you get the chance. After all, newspaper columnist Rod Dreher famously said: “There are three kinds of people who run toward disaster, not away: cops, firemen and reporters,” and I did my best to embody that quote this past weekend.
Credit to the fans for handling such a high profile, high stress situation with a relaxed attitude. We came from all over the world to see that game and we all just tried to embody that ubiquitous British poster: “Keep Calm and Carry On.”
Having to miss the actual game between Manchester United and Bournemouth, I did my best to salvage what I could from the 4,000 mile trip. I still got to selfie with the statues, view the venue’s museum and eat at the Red Cafe. This was all a small consolation for having missed the game, but it’s the best I could have hoped for given the drama of the situation. Also, I had the chance to stay at the Hotel Football across the street, and that experience was amazing!
Read all about that at this link.
Taking the Old Trafford Tour the day after the game might have made a great plan B for me, but it was quickly sold out. The Museum drew a pretty big crowd as well, proving that most people pretty much got over the bomb scare from the previous day; as they should have because in the end it was all a big to-do over nothing.
The show must go on, and while the current United product might lack in entertainment value, the club history is second to none. You can’t visit the Old Trafford Museum and not walk away believing that Manchester, UK is THE CAPITAL of football/soccer.
The focal point of the Old Trafford Museum is the trophy room. It’s right near the entrance and it’s room that stays most prominently etched in your brain.
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This is why United draw the comparisons to the Dallas Cowboys, New York Yankees, Duke Blue Devils and L.A. Lakers. It’s why they’re the most beloved sports franchise in the world and the most hated club in the world all at the same time. They have an estimated 600 million supporters world wide because they have a tradition of excellence unlike any other.
And you really need to be there to truly understand, think and feel that. It’s what traveling does; puts you in the space and time of what you’ve gone to really experience all across this great world of ours.
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Old Trafford made sense as a target, once you try to think like a terrorist, because attacking it, and Manchester United for that matter, would bring unparalleled free “publicity” to a terrorist’s disgusting, deplorable immoral “cause.” You saw that on Sunday when the whole sports world made Old Trafford the number one sports news story of the day everywhere on Earth.
That’s why everybody needs to see Old Trafford in person, at least once. You need to set foot in the capital of their empire, and see the history of: the famous red shirt, the elite winning, the devoted fans, the iconic players, the legendary club, the massive global tours, all of it!
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An ocean away from home, I still saw plenty of Old Trafford Museum artifacts that hit close to home. If you get the chance to visit, I highly suggest you visit the museum!
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Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, partnered with FOX Sports Engage Network. and News Now. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, currently contributes regularly to the Chicago Tribune’s RedEye publication and Bold Global.
He also consistently appears on numerous talk shows all across the country. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram