The Pulse Newsletter 📣 | This is The Athletic’s daily sports newsletter. Sign up here to receive The Pulse directly in your inbox.Good morning! Embrace all the footballs today. Inside:
New Obsessions: Help me pick a Premier League teamHi! I’m Hannah. I co-wrote The Athletic’s World Cup newsletter over the summer, and in the weeks since it ended, I’ve plummeted down the rabbit hole of international soccer mania.Actual footage of me jumping into my next sports fandom:I was born into the swamps of south Louisiana and into the blood of two fandoms: the LSU Tigers and New Orleans Saints. About 15 years ago, I moved to New York City and adopted two more: the New York Knicks and the New York Mets.Fate laid these alliances out for me. Now, something much more knotty: choosing my own fate in the form of a Premier League team.How does one DIY that powerful concoction of emotional resonance, intellectual connection, community devotion and manic obsession — without the proximity? That is the grand task before us today. Generate new sports fandoms … together.The first rule of joining Premier League fandom is: You’re entering a sacred space. Just as you wouldn’t walk into someone’s kitchen and start mucking about with their grandma’s china, when picking a club to support, it’s best to lead with curiosity, deference and a willingness to learn. So, with that said, here are six ways to pick your Premier League team if you weren’t born into it. (Video version here!)
