ISC 2020: Baltimore in January
/Bob Brumberg, Vice President of Die Innenstadt, penned this post.
The light rail hummed along, making the 10 mile journey from the airport to downtown with relatively good time. Darkness had replaced what little there was of the sun while I was in the air, so the window offered limited views. However, the lights outlining M&T Stadium and Camden Yards were unmistakable as the train entered the city. Getting off at the Convention Center stop, I bid farewell to the nice man from Maine I had been chatting with since the airport and stepped off the train. Waiting to greet me outside the comfort of public transit was a city under a gale warning, which announced itself with a gust of cold air from the harbor that blew my roller bag over. What the hell was I doing in Baltimore in January?
Baltimore in January
The answer was soccer. More specifically, the annual Independent Supporters Council Conference. The Independent Supporters Council (ISC) is made up of over 90 independent supporters’ groups from across North America, with representation from MLS, NWSL, USL, NPSL, and CPL. Die Innenstadt is a proud member of ISC. The ISC exists to “promote supporters’ culture and advocate for fair treatment of supporters, both at home and on the road.” Essentially, the ISC is a collective voice that stands up for supporters’ rights. And when those rights are threatened, the collective is louder than any SG individually.
You’re probably more familiar with the ISC than you think. Remember the debate/protests over anti-fascist/anti-nazi imagery in MLS, specifically the Iron Front logo? ISC was and is a driving force in that discussion. You also might recall our 2018 US Open Cup match against Detroit City and the outrage over the small ticket allocation to away fans. The ISC voiced their disapproval with the situation and issued a statement in what was my first exposure to the organization. “Who the hell are these people?” was probably my initial reaction to the ISC.
Despite my first impression of them, it was hard not to respect their stance and willingness to speak out. Die Innenstadt joined the ISC in 2019. And a year later, Jared and I were in Charm City to network with other supporters, pick up some pointers from other groups, and maybe share a little about what we’ve learned over the last 4 years.
Thursday night we rolled into the pre-conference social event (at a German bier garden no less!) and fell into conversations with folks from the 3252 (LAFC), Queen Anne’s Revenge (Crew) and Timbers Army (Portland). The welcoming nature of soccer fans was on full display here, which provided some relief to my crippling social anxiety. With many stories and some light banter, this was a great primer for the weekend to come. We tried to hide our excitement when multiple SGs complimented the march. “Incredible,” “massive,” and “wish we had something like that” were among the comments. Game recognize game. A quick stop at a late-night burrito counter signaled the end of the evening. Down to business in the morning.
Members of various other supporter groups at isc
The cool air from the harbor accompanied us on our walk to the conference, thankfully less forceful than the night before. Our daily meeting spot was The Polish Home Club, a social club in the heart of Fell’s Point and a historically large Polish community. Fun fact: Baltimore was the second largest port of immigration behind Ellis Island, with a large number of those arriving being Polish and German. The influence of the Polish immigrants is still visible throughout Fell’s Point.
Supporters trickled into the large ballroom upstairs and found their way to a table. We settled in with a contingent from Sons of Ben (Philly Union), right behind one of two tables filled with LAFC folks. We started with a league breakout session, and the MLS discussion was largely centered around an update of #AUnitedFront and the code of conduct. Suffice to say discussions are going well and seem to be positive and productive. This is a good example of how the ISC uses its collective voice to fight for supporters’ rights. Obviously this is a stance that has elicited many a debate over ‘political’ speech, but the ISC (and DI for that matter) firmly believe hate has no place in our sport and messages that reject racism, fascism, homophobia, etc are not ‘political.’ I could go on, but this is a topic for a different post. More info on the ISC’s stance regarding this is available on their website and in an update at the bottom of this post.
Following a quick update from the MLSPA, we reconvened for a wonderful presentation from the FARE Network, an organization dedicated to combating discrimination in soccer worldwide (catching a theme here?). A rep from Human Rights Watch also joined the discussion. The overarching message here was that regardless where injustice occurs, advocacy is important even at a local level. Chants using discriminatory slurs, Iranian women being banned from attending matches, or the atrocities surrounding the World Cup in Qatar...these are global issues that demand all of us to unite in one voice. Just because they happen half a world away does not lessen their importance. This is why we must take stances. “Keep politics out of sports” is a familiar rally cry from those who would prefer to not be bothered with such things. Equal rights are not political. Human rights are not political.
After a break for lunch and an amazing bowl of ramen down the street, we gathered for a panel discussing people of color in supporters culture. I was pretty excited when I saw this on the schedule, because by and large soccer support in this country is largely white. Admittedly we can all do a better job involving people from different backgrounds who are hesitant to join in. Unsure what to expect, we were treated to an honest discussion around common obstacles, ways to engage, and easy initiatives to implement. Looking forward to putting some of the ideas presented into action.
Following the panel was a breakout session with a few different topics. Both Jared and I opted for ones centered around community outreach. You probably already know this, but Die Innenstadt fervently believes community involvement is essential as a supporters group. It is one of our core tenants, and something we are immensely proud of. Our partnership with organizations such as the West End Art Gallery, It Starts With the Shoes, and Seven Hills Neighborhood Houses (to name a few) are incredibly important to us, and these sessions gave us great insight on how to build on those relationships.
isc conference break out sessions
The theme of inclusion continued into the afternoon with another fantastic panel, this one discussing GLBTQ+ in supporters culture. Much like the earlier presentations, I took away a number of great ideas. As Day 1 came to a close, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of pride in being a part of this larger group. The message was clear: we are about more than just soccer. Everyone in the room “got it.” We have a responsibility to be champions of inclusion and good stewards of our community. As we spilled out into the cold Baltimore afternoon and made our way back to the hotel, ideas bounced back and forth between groups from across the country...a signal that this wasn’t just a weekend idea. These messages would carry back to Los Angeles, New York, Minnesota, and all points in between. You better believe they made their way back to Cincinnati.
Dinner was set for 8 back at the Polish Club, which gave Jared time to nap and me time to explore. Walking around downtown and back to the Harbor gave me time to digest everything from the day, and realize I should have packed gloves. I ducked into a coffee shop to get warm and brainstorm how to take this weekend and convey it to the group. In just one day I had filled pages of a legal pad with thoughts, itching to get back to Cincinnati and change the world. So many ideas and initiatives...how do we tackle them all? Well the easy answer is you can’t. And you shouldn’t. My old boss was fond of the business cliché “How do you eat an elephant?” That certainly applies here (one bite at a time, by the way). I wandered back to the hotel with a clearer head and warmer hands.
That evening we were treated to a delicious BBQ buffet, cold Natty Boh beer, and a great comedy set from the Cooligans. The afterparty went until they kicked us out, and continued at a local bar until closing. Jared took off before things got rowdy, which would pay dividends the next morning. I stuck around to experience a dance circle led by the LAFC folks, a group sing of Bohemian Rhapsody, and overpriced pizza-by-the-slice. 10/10 would do again.
Saturday came with rain and snow, adding to the already bitter cold. The walk to the Polish Club seemed twice as long, due in equal parts to the weather and a hangover. I envied Jared’s pep in his step while I downed the overpriced coffee from the Starbucks ‘Reserve’ attached to our hotel (seriously it’s just a regular Starbucks). Arriving in the conference hall, I saw I was in good company, and the line for a coffee refill resembled a groggy snake coiled through the back room. Shaking off the cobwebs, we settled in for Day 2. A panel of non-MLS SGs kicked us off with a great discussion around how we (MLS) SGs can support them, a valuable session given the proximity of the Dutch Lions and an imminent ‘FCC 2’ team. Break-out groups followed, sharing tips around vendors and administration/legal matters. Jared sat in on Tifo & Tailgate Best Practices, with the latter monopolizing the 30 minute session.
As an aside, we are in the minority here. Our stadium location, both at Nippert and the West End, is not conducive to tailgating. A lack of large parking lots and high density of bars dictates what pre-match looks like. And frankly we should be thankful for it. Not because I don’t like tailgating, but the sheer cost and logistics these other groups have to consider is staggering. Many of them ‘host’ a tailgate, which requires renting the space, coordinating the food, providing butnotreallyproviding beer, tents, insurance, crowd control, on and on. Every. Week. I started twitching just thinking about it. I’ll take my liter of beer and MeckTenders thank you very much. Plus the thrill of finding a parking spot is part of the matchday experience.
We wound down the conference with a list of ISC administrative items (bylaws, growth strategy, elections, etc), followed by year-end awards. We nominated the SG-collaborated Hell Is Real tifo, and with all due respect to LAFC’s Freddie Mercury display we feel Andrew Springsteen’s creation was worthy of the trophy. The conference adjourned and we bid the Polish Hall farewell. That evening, we all gathered at a wonderful dive bar, and Baltimore’s famous Natty Boh beer flowed like the waters of the Patapsco River. We got in our final laughs and banter, exchanged contact info, planned meet-ups for away days, and said our goodbyes. A quick Uber back to the hotel (and another round of overpriced pizza-by-the-slice) and that was that.
Fortune smiled upon us Sunday morning as the universe sent a Mercedes C-Class as the ‘basic’ Uber for the ride to the airport. I adjusted the recline of the backseat, because you can do that in a Mercedes C-Class, and fought to stay awake. Long security lines added to the misery likely caused by the late-night pizza decision mere hours before. Jared, with his fancy TSA PreCheck, mocked me from the other side of the barrier. Unlike my flight here, no one came by to move my seat buddy to an exit row. An uncomfortable 90 minutes later we were home..
Any Cincinnatian knows the view from the Cut-In-The-Hill is a sight for sore eyes, even after just a few days away. You sit up a little straighter as the Queen City opens its arms to welcome you back. Die Innenstadt is just as much about being an ambassador to Cincinnati as it is supporting soccer, so reflecting on the weekend as the city came into view only amplified my excitement to apply some of the takeaways. We went to Baltimore in January because we want to improve, to be a better SG...a better champion for club and city. We’ve done a lot of things right in 4 short years. But this is only the beginning. I am so excited for what 2020 holds. You should be too.
Juncta Juvant
-Bob
UPDATE: MLS released its 2020 Code of Conduct on February 18th, clarifying what is considered ‘political’ speech. In a statement, the ISC “expressed encouragement and approval of the language in the revised Fan Code of Conduct, which was recently released by Major League Soccer. The revised Code responds to questions and concerns that arose during the 2019 MLS season, and clarifies what symbolism and language will and will not be permitted at MLS events in 2020 and beyond.” Read the full statement here.