The Swede - An In Depth Study (Part IV)

The New York Yankees

I could put together a post on some random stuff we've been up to, but Courtney went ahead and put together a very succinct post on some of our shenanigans. These include fun things like going to a Bandy match (it's a cross between ice hockey and soccer), going to a "light cafe", and witnessing Swedes trying on underwear.

So with that all out of the way, I can now being Part IV in my on again, mostly off again continuing study on “The Swede”. (Parts I and II are here and Part III is here).

When folks think about Swedish sports people most likely think of hockey, soccer, cross country skiing, and of course table tennis (not to patronize, but a few of you may not know of Jörgen Persson, who was 4th in not one, but two(!) Olympic games).


But despite this impressive sports culture, you’ll be shocked to hear that the most popular sports team is not a Stockholm soccer/football club, or even a global soccer team like Manchester United. In fact, by simply taking a look around a crowded area, you’ll find approximately 25% of the population of Sweden root for the New York Yankees. Most of the following photos were taken within a half hour during the Mamlö festival last summer.












It's nice to see her still supporting her team despite the Yankee's disappointing season. That's devotion.

Of course, with such a devoted fan following there are a few that dare to be different:

I wonder if he thinks the Dodgers should hang on to Manny Ramirez?

The Atlanta Braves maniac in the following photo was doing "The Chop" but stopped right as I took the photo.


So the next time you run into a Swede while traveling, or hanging out in Ballard or whatever, make sure you ask them what their thoughts are on the M's chances this year.