Following your favorite sports team can sometimes be difficult, especially if your team is located in another country or even another continent.
This is often the case for international students in the United States like Niman Doowa at Ithaca College. Doowa is from Bangkok, Thailand and is a life-long Manchester United supporter.
Some essential items that he uses when keeping up to date with his team are:
- Streaming sites to watch the games such as NBC Sports
- Apps such as LiveScore to stay updated with scores, players news, team updates, etc.
- Wearing his Manchester United jersey, worn during every match
- An alarm clock, for waking up early or staying up late to watch the game
Starting Early
Doowa has been following Manchester United and European football since a young age, identifying family as his reason for becoming a fan.
“Most of my family follow Manchester United and I guess I started following them from a young age, too. It was a generational thing in my family as Manchester United fans.” – Niman Doowa
Tools to Keep Up With the Game
Finding the best way to watch games can be tricky, but Doowa suggests stream sites that allow him to watch with uninterrupted feeds.
“Stream sites like cr7.net and the NBC Sports subscription are the best way to watch the games while studying abroad. It’s sometimes frustrating to find the perfect stream!” Niman Doowa
From Manchester to Madrid
While Doowa is a life-long Manchester United fan, he doesn’t actually have any personal connection to the football club or city. This is certainly not the case for Madrid, Spain born Oscar Areces. He is another international student at Ithaca College who represents himself as a loyal Real Madrid fan.
“We won the Champions League back-to-back the last two years, we are the best team in the world!” – Oscar Areces
Supporting Real Madrid As A Birthright
Areces has supported his local city club for as long as he can remember, with family loyalty stretching back several generations.
“Since I was young, too young to remember I have been a Real Madrid supporter. Almost all my family support them too like my mom, my grand-parents, my uncles, cousins, etc… the list goes on.” – Oscar Areces
Being An International Student and the Problem of Time Difference
Time difference between Madrid, Spain and Ithaca, NY affect Oscar in a big way. Since football matches in Spain begin much later in the evening than in the rest of Europe, Areces is unable to watch his team play due to classes.
“Normally when the games start there, I am stuck in class here so I can’t see them play. YouTube helps with lots of highlight videos.” – Oscar Areces
The Other Perspective Across the Pond
Ithaca College student James Johnston may not be an international student, but he faces many similar problems faced by international students in the world of sports fans.
Johnston hails from Cleveland, Ohio and is a lover of all things related to Cleveland sports.
“I have an equal love for the Cavs, Indians and (yes, really) Browns. If I haven’t made it abundantly clear, I’m very proud to be from Cleveland, and rooting for three major sports teams has provided me with many great memories growing up.” – James Johnston
Essential items used by him to follow and watch his favorite teams are:
- FOX Sports GO and ESPN websites for the watching all the games
- Bleacher Report and ESPN for apps to stay updated
Whether you are an international student or just a temporary Ithaca native, being a sports fan stays with you no matter where you go.
