TUESDAYYYY! An epic finish in the NBA last night, and another in the MLB. The Nugs advance and will now face the Timberwolves which could be the first-ever series to somehow need an 8th game! Last but not least…there’s this team, in Scotland, the Caledonian Braves, and I don’t know what it is but there’s just something about them…just something! Stump Time!

LETS. GET. INTO. IT.

Soccer is Cool Now, Haven’t You Heard?

American Soccer, or football, has firmly entrenched itself in pop culture with hit television series’ like “Ted Lasso” and “Welcome to Wrexham”. Soccer has always struggled to get off the ground in the US at the scale of some of the other major sports in the state. It’s now the fastest-growing sport in the US and the most popular choice for adults under the age of 30. In the last 40 years, high school soccer in the states has grown by almost 300%. Now, Americans, and people all over the world, have been inspired to invest in it.

When I say “it”, I’m referring to the Caledonian Braves, of course! Never heard of them? Not for long. In the outskirts of Motherwell, Scotland, a town about an hour southeast of Glasgow, lies Alliance Stadium and the Caledonian Braves. They play in the Scottish fifth division with a roster almost exclusively made up of amateurs and a stadium with a max capacity of 500 (about the size of an average high school gym).

Despite this seemingly dreary outlook, this squad is blowing up thanks to their newly-minted fan-ownership. Since their adoption of the plan, the club has attracted more than $300,000 in initial investments from around 1,000 owners from around the world. Investors from 49(!!!!!) states in the US have signed on the dotted line (C’mon, Wyoming, get with the program).

While a lot of random Joe’s and Jane’s have jumped on the Caledonian bandwagon, so have some not-so-regular fans. An NBA player, NBA coach, and NBA executive have joined, while three US NWSL players have also recently become part of the Braves fandom.

Fan ownership is not new to pro soccer, but it is particularly uncommon in the United Kingdom. In Scotland, fans have become majority owners at some topflight clubs in recent years, but that doesn’t mean that it’s necessarily easy. Often, managing expectations of these new type of “owners” and finding the collective opinion of the group can be a challenge.

That hasn’t stopped owner Chris Ewing from diving head first into the plan. He has high expectations and goals, he wants this team to become a Scottish Premier League Club and flip the narrative that you need high level investors and big names to become a successful soccer club.

We tip our hat to Chris Ewing and the whole Caledonian Braves squad, you got yourself two new owners. See you soon, lads!

The Police might have released this song in 1978, but it seems timeless to me. Whether it’s out of excitement or frustration, belting out a good, “ROXANNNNE” solves a lot of problems.

Link to enjoy: LINK