RSL fans shirt upsets KC Star, Sporting fans yawn

So fans in Salt Lake made a t-shirt. A t-shirt that is not going to rank high on the classy scale but is right in line with thousands of shirts that college fans have made every year across the country. It plays on the whole FU and KC that can be found in the big bad dirty word. As Ralphie in A Christmas Story called it, "THE word, the big one, the queen-mother of dirty words."

So no big deal, right? We've all seen something along these lines time and time again. Muck Fizzou t-shirts by our friends in Lawrence and equally "clever" shirts by our friends in Columbia and Manhattan.

I am sure the fans in Salt Lake felt they were being witty and original and it probably comes across as little edgy in Utah but in reality, nothing new. No big deal. The shirt was nothing more than an eye roll to the average Sporting KC fan. Kansas City fans are not only used to heated rivalries, we thrive on it. The two most popular universities (Missouri and Kansas) used to kill each other and before Missouri left the Big 12 the hatred was only exceeded in certain religious wars.

No big deal until Yael T. Abouhalkah, a Kansas City Star columnist instantly made himself a joke when he decided he needed to comment. That is what he gets paid for, right? Of course I would hope that he would get paid for having some insight, a new take, making a relevant point, some humor, something.

"So, yes, soccer fans - as do other sports fans - enjoy using T-shirts to proclaim their love for a certain team. They just usually do it with more class than some Real Salt Lake supporters are doing." - Yael T. Abouhalkah

In fairness, I rarely read columns by Abouhalkah, but when I do they always seem to be filled with some form of perpetual outrage. It's usually somebody did somebody wrong and he is unhappy about it. Sounds more like an old country western song than a column I want to read.

So this t-shirt that would have sold a few copies and been quickly forgotten gets added life and Kansas City looks like they are upset by a stupid t-shirt.

Thanks Yael...

P.S. Since it is likely that at least some Salt Lake fans will be wearing the shirt when they visit Sporting Park for the MLS Cup on December 7th, I suggest that Yael not attend. Some of the words uttered there might be less than polite also.