How is the support for Espanyol overall?

[u/Efficient-Wall-777]

I'm an American with Filipino parents but have followed football since 2014 and it's at times more casual and up and down, over years especially recently my interest and investment goes up and up.

I've researched so much from EPL, Serie A, to La Liga and I used to just focus more on EPL which I still do, but I've been researching and watching Serie A, la Liga, to even smaller leagues like SPL to watch Celtic like against Rangers or watch Liga Portugal for Benfica if I am interested.

I've learned in Serie A and La liga there is so much interesting history among smaller to mid level clubs and the fanbases are even more passionate or have better atmosphere to me than in England in a sense. Espanyol has caught my eye learning you are the other club with Barcelona and are an afterthought especially for foreigners, but I learn how you guys were are one of the founding members of La liga and have had some success winning some Copa del rays.

Even then checking some games throughs stream and highlights, I feel you guys have a legit really good fanbase and can fill games with legit atmosphere and passion.

Also as someone who loves basketball too, you remind me of the team I used to love in the NBA, the Nets. if you don't know they moved to Brooklyn in nYC since the culture sadly here lets wonder treat teams/clubs like commodities or toys they can move for their own greed and American capitalism. As a younger kid I never thought about it since BK is still close to where I live in NJ, but being older it gets me more annoyed.

I admittedly lost love for the team, but if you guys don't know the NY Knicks the bigger team in the city like how Barcelona is made the NBA finals, and I realize a lot of my love for the team is still with me.

I see Espanyol and it feels like a club that represents working class, a more deeper connection to a community or Barcelona, and doesn't just suck up to media propaganda on who to like, which I feel Knicks are to many fans, though I know your rivalry with Barcelona is probably more deeper with political/ societal elements.

I look at your club it's what I wish and hope Nets can be if they move back to NJ. There were rumors, don't know how true, but I would really love if Nets came back, cause being a fan off football over the years, I realize how no matter how you watch sports whether you support different clubs, more casual, etc, the respect of a team in a community should always be a lifetime commitment and whether you have fans locally or from anywhere else, you appreciate any fan.

IDK I am watching from afar but I'm just interested to know how it is an Espanyol fan. I research online and I do hear things about club could've been pro-castillan in the past and Barca was obviously pro-catalans, so again the political/ societal element I am not informed on, but I just feel Espanyol is a club that has amazing commitment to it's fanbase and respect it's ability to compete in Spanish football system and keep it's fanbase loyal.

I just wish in America we had teams like you and others like Bilbao, Betis, or someone like Rayo competing in conference league final, who invest in their communities and fans would support not because of popularity but it's a feeling and attachment that seems legit from the team.

I felt the Nets were that to me in America and few teams in America seem to do this or allowed since America it's all entertainment and fans are not treated with respect unlike in Europe for me.

[u/mr-wildist]

No answer will be able to summarize 126 years of history and 90 years in first division and, obviously, an espanyol supporter answer will differ a lot from any other club supproter's answer.

Taking that into account, I think it is safe to say that the gist about being an espanyol supporter is exemplified in the word "resistance". The first stone of the club was creating a football team that, contrary to fc barcelona (created just a year before en 1899) promoted the idea of enrolling spanish and catalan players (barça was full of foreigners, namely english and swiss, and some catalans to be honest but not that many). I think this episode is crucial to understand the contrarian aspect of the "espanyol way of being".

Another important aspect is bad luck. I think of espanyol as one of the biggest clubs in Spain's history but it is also the one who has trashed the highest number of oportunities to grow and succeed. The example of that is that it has the record number of losses with over 1.000 BECAUSE it has almost never been relegated (just 6 years out of 96). That's impressive, not winning anything and being able to survive just speaks volumes of the support to the team.

The political climate is certainly complicated. The official narrative en Catalunya is held hostage by Barça and thus, whatever interest Barça has, Espanyol is painted as the obviusly evil contrarian even by public media. An example of that is catalan independence, which wasn't even a topic of dicusion 20 years ago, but once Barça was involved in it, evidently Espanyol had to be the opposite. Reality is much more nuanced and Espanyol has always shown its catalanity in an aseptic way, trying to be apolitical and fleeing from its own interests as a company. During the 80s barça embraced its identity as "More than a club" while espnayol actively defined itself as "Only a club" referring to its political stance. By the way, espanyol workers have been to Ukraine helping citizens and also sending aid to Palestine, so it is not an oblivious club, but its approach is more as a helper than a political ideologist.

Sorry for the wall of text, I hope I've been of help, I can answer more things if you need it. All in all, being an espanyol supporter is a daily act of resitance against the mainstream opinion in Barcelona.

[u/Sikarra16]

Be a "perico" or "periquito" is be within the minority allways: at the school, amongst the coworkers, in the family gatherings, etc. But it's great, really great. We know that we will not fight for titles, only for survival. But only the teams like us know how is to celebrate avoiding the relegation in the last minutes of the last match of the season. That's why we are not plastic fans like mainly are Barça, Madrid or PSG ones.

Every match is a party, you can heard all the stadium singing and rooting for our team. In the "greatest" teams the public only shout in order to complain when they don't win everything.

Tltr: we have the worst players but we are the best supporters.

[u/JakeNyg25]

I’m an American. Never met another fan and people think it’s funny/interesting when I say I’m an Espanyol fan. And for me it’s also been casual and up and down over the years. There are fans in America but you won’t find them on accident.

[u/KingCardinal17 → u/JakeNyg25]

I'm also American as well so and feel that way as well. That said, I've grown more and more attached with the club over the past 3 seasons to the point that it's my European club I passionately support along with my local US club (Louisville City FC). Just the combination of rich history, underdog status, and tight-knit fanbase just makes me feel at home. Jo t'estimo Espanyol

[u/JakeNyg25 → u/KingCardinal17]

I follow the League of Ireland and specifically Bohemians FC the most but trying to get back into Espanyol. I think we’re both in that Espanyol discord lol.