History

On the surface, the rivalry between Sheffield United and West Ham United seems to be one of the most obvious derbies in English football; Sheffield is nicknamed the Blades because of the city's connection to the steel industry, while West Ham is known as the Hammers for its roots in the local ironworks of London. 

But the rivalry between these two clubs extends beyond the metalworks and is centered around another important resource: money.

The soccer world sat captivated as the two biggest names in the sport received the axe in the Champions League Round of 16. When the dust settled both Cristiano Ronaldo’s Juventus and Lionel Messi’s Barcelona had been reduced to rubble at the hands of Porto and Paris Saint-Germain.

Sometimes I wish that, through some glaring administrative error, I had been accidentally registered for the Ajax youth academy, even if it was just for one day. Then, in semi-good conscience, I could exploit that fact to have my own Wikipedia page, Transfermarkt profile and agent, allowing me to bounce around the world on one-year contracts — obviously being found out as total trash time after time — living my best life. 

A couple months before USMNT manager Jurgen Klinsmann announced his final 23-man roster for the 2014 World Cup, I was at a wedding in California, at the bar with a member of the LA Galaxy technical staff. The conversation turned to Landon Donovan, who’d reestablished himself in the national team after being dropped at the start of the Hex.

American sports can be tacky at times (see cheerleaders, singing the national anthem and extensive commercial breaks), but one positive that has arisen from the heartland of this fine country is the extensive use of trophies.