My 2022 RSL Fan Resolutions

Well hello, with the increased downtime that comes this time of year when dates and time are meaningless, I have been meditating on what next year will look like for RSL. So often my focus is on what the FO is doing to improve the roster, what will the style of play be, or will we have an owner? In my outward searching, I forget that I should be asking similar questions about myself. How will I support the club next year, how can I be a better fan, what parts of my fandom suck and need to change?

So, in the spirit of the new year and the resolutions that are made, I am making my own RSL Soapbox fan resolutions. These are my own individual resolutions and are not indicative of or endorsed by the RSL Soapbox as a whole, or maybe they are, I don’t know. Either way, I hope you enjoy my resolutions, and maybe you can steal some of mine or make some of your own.

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My 2022 Fan Resolutions

• My first resolution is to not ever tweet out the hashtags #PabloOut, #MastroeniOut, or any derivative thereof during the season. Lose 5-0, hell yeah I am going to be pissed. Play a 3 man backline and leave our best players on the bench, fuming mad. But I commit to giving him a full season without me calling for his head. However, the moment the 2022 season wraps all bets are off. You can follow me @RSL_Man and hold me to it. Anyone that sees me tweet out any form of Mastroeni out and calls me on it, I’ll Venmo you $10.
• Second, to stop cherry-picking stats that already support my pre-determined opinion of a player on the squad. We can all make data points bend to support our theories if we want to while ignoring the whole body of work. So I am going to do my damndest to not do that in 2022.
• Third, and this one is going to be very hard, but I am resolving to watch the games more, and doom scroll Twitter during the match much less. I have gotten into this terrible habit of being more interested in what people are saying about the match while it is happening, than watching the match itself. It’s stupid, I hate that I do it, and I am committing to doing better. I miss so much of what I love about soccer because my attention is so divided between the game happening and the people tweeting about it.
• Fourth, I plan on attending more games in person. Last year was tough for me, I only got out to a handful of games. It was a mixture of having small kids who won’t sit through a match and concerns about Covid. My kids are a year older and I want them to love soccer as much as I do, and there is no better way to fall in love with it than to be there in the summer sun soaking up the atmosphere at Rio Tinto.
• Fifth, I resolve to bring someone in Utah to their first-ever RSL game. We are a small market, every fan matters, and every dollar counts. The best way I can help grow the sport in Utah is to get more people to the games who have never been, help them fall in love with it too, and build our fan base! If that person is you, DM me and we’ll make it happen. I can’t take everyone, but I’ll try and take a couple of people throughout the year.
• Sixth, I want to enjoy the highs and lows of the season more. That means getting pumped and staying up late into the evening after a thrilling victory, as well as embracing defeat with humility and an understanding that you can’t have the good without the bad.
• Seventh, I resolve to attend my first ever Monarchs match. It’s like 10 minutes from my house, I have no reason to not go. We have an amazing facility for our MLS is Next team, better than we probably deserve, and yet I haven’t taken advantage of it and that’s a shame on me.
• Lastly, my final resolution for 2022 is to hate other fan bases less. I cringe a little saying that because I really dislike some other fan bases. But there is already too much hate in the world, and all of us, no matter the color of kit we wear have been dealing with some hard stuff the last 2 years. Soccer is an escape for us all, a mental break from the realities we are facing as a community, a country, and a world. If I were to sit down with Portland, Colorado, or SKC fans I’m sure I’d find we have way more in common than that which separates us. Do I want them to win, no, hell no, go RSL! But I also don’t want to feel any sort of negative way about them for wanting the same things I want but for a different city.

Photo by John Rudoff/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

So there you have it, I hope 2022 brings each of us happiness, health, and prosperity. I hope the new season which is not too far away will be one of success and I am committed to doing my part as a fan to be a positive influence on the culture and outcome of the Real Salt Lake family. Vamos RSL!