What do you know? Soccer really is the world’s most magical sport. It is turning Malcolm Glazer into a sympathetic figure.
“Malcolm Glazer is to United fans what Adolf Hitler was to Europe.”
So said a statement Sunday by the Manchester Education Committee, which is more educated in hysteria than history.
You should never compare a Jewish person to Hitler. And you should never compare anyone to Hitler or Satan just because they want to buy your little soccer team.
It’s not wise to trifle with Manchester United, which is no little soccer team. It is the most revered club on Earth. Which means about six Americans have heard of it. Glazer acquired the majority of Man U stock–a $1.47 billion takeover. Across the pond, it was as if a Saudi sheik bought the Statue of Liberty.
Fans think he’ll jack up prices, rename Old Trafford stadium the Houlihan’s Dome and make Kenyatta Walker the goalie.
Some fans ran on the field to disrupt Sunday’s game. Others crashed a Saturday night party to attack a banker who helped finance Glazer’s deal. You know what they say about soccer. It’s the 2.3 billion fanatics who give the 14 sane ones a bad name.
The British press, showing typical restraint, has called Glazer a troll and dispatched reporters to dig through the dumpsters behind One Buc Place. They have a better chance of interviewing the Loch Ness Monster than talking to Malcolm the Mysterious.
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The reaction is a lot like when Glazer bought the NFL’s Buccaneers. Fans had Glazer Panic when he bought them for $192 million. Nine years and a Super Bowl later, they are worth $700 million.
Glazer doesn’t know Pele from Todd Steussie (hint: Pele could block). But one thing he knows is how to enhance his investments. And his grand plan is to market Man U worldwide.