Púlari

By Gunnar Birgisson

Icelandic Roots Writers' Group member, Gunnar Birgisson, comments on another interesting Icelandic word. This word may be used to describe you!

Icelanders have a long history of intensely following professional sports in other countries. In the last few decades some NBA teams have earned large followings. There are a growing number of NFL fans and watching the Super Bowl (Ofurskálinn) has become a thing.

But none of these compare to the singular devotion Icelanders have to English soccer (football). The Premier League and its predecessor leagues have received enormous attention from Icelanders over the years. Decades ago, there was just one game shown every Saturday, but the newspapers would write descriptions of the other games. Nowadays, more games are aired and fans can watch their teams more regularly, often meeting in sports bars to yell together at the television. Those who can afford it make special trips to England to see their teams in their home stadiums.

Since people like winners, most Icelanders have ended up rooting for the most successful teams over the years, and, specifically, Liverpool and Manchester United. Fans of these two teams in particular take pleasure in their own success and, just as much, in the other's failures. Winning the Premier League title is heavenly for supporting fans, and a perfect weekend consists of your team winning and its big rival losing.

Liverpool Football Club Logo. Photo sourced from Wikipedia.org.

A fan of Liverpool F.C. is called a Púlari. It’s a slang word that’s become part of everyday speech. There are many such words in Icelandic, e.g. sjoppa a small shop selling snacks. Translating Púlari back to English would be something like ‘Pooler.’ I've never heard of any corresponding snappy nickname for Manchester United fans, so tough luck, that's why I'm going with Liverpool and Púlari in this little essay.

Notably, fans of Liverpool might never have set foot in the cities before becoming a rabid fan, instead just being seduced by the charismatic play of Kevin Keegan or Steven Gerrard or Mo Salah or whomever. And if you've never been to England, but are looking for a team to support, why not pick a glamorous winner? Just like people from outside South America might be more likely to root for Brazil than Bolivia in the World Cup. 

But I respect those Icelanders who studied in England and ended up rooting for the team where they lived, whether Coventry, Ipswich, Middlesborough, or something else. It's a more authentic connection, but also one that leads to fewer celebrations as such teams may be languishing in lower divisions. If you want to celebrate more often, become a Púlari.