God’s Own Country Welcomes America
A grudging and growing acceptance that maybe Leeds might have some good Americans…
Yorkshire doesn’t take easily to change. But walking around the city center or down Elland Road on gameday there’s no avoiding the signs of a growing American influence. Leeds United fans wear Major League Baseball caps and US men’s national team jerseys. Americans’ names have earned their ways onto on the backs of replica kits, and stars and stripes bedeck (or something…“spangle”??) the souvenir scarves of manager Jesse Marsch — proud son of Racine, Wisconsin.
On the stadium concourse, Mark Russell wore a San Francisco 49ers sweatshirt. “I bought it because of the association,” he said, referring to the San Francisco 49ers Enterprises organization that now owns 44% of Leeds United. He knew very little about the 49ers. “They’re an American Football (do we capitalize