How Spurs Have Become More than Just A Football Club
Some football clubs have the privilege of becoming more than the sum of their parts and taking a place as part of the present-day culture. Tottenham Hotspur have done just this.
Football clubs can sometimes transcend beyond merely being a group of players on a pitch united by the same coloured jerseys. Tottenham Hotspur football club has become a cultural symbol that has more behind it than just the actions that happen on the pitch, and brings with it elements of a specific culture unique to the club and its supporters. The Spurs culture can be found in many places, from viral moments to online casino game themes and even into the pop culture entertainment sphere. This article will investigate just how Tottenham Hotspur have touched the wider world of pop culture.
A cultural phenomenon that inspires games
I'm sure you are familiar with sports stars being immortalised in gaming, with games like FIFA and FC 24 in particular bringing the world's favourite footballing legends to life with bits and bytes.
What you might be less familiar with is the idea that sports stars are commonly incorporated into the themes of casino games and slot machines. It wouldn't be unusual for you to find a slot machine or casino game that focuses on Cristiano Ronaldo, so for a UK-focused online casino experience it might be very reasonable to expect there to be games that focus on the Spurs, or at the least incorporate some Spurs players amongst a wider UK football theme.
Gaming experiences that blend media, incorporating sports stars or iconography in a space that otherwise has little to do with that sport, are becoming more common. The cultural zeitgeist is shifting so that meta-experiences are becoming not only more common but more sought after, and with the footprint that Tottenham has on the culture, there is sure to be some experiences that feature the club soon, if there isn't already.
How the club is more than just what happens on the pitch
Just like many big football clubs, for a huge number of Spurs fans, supporting them is about much more than just tuning in when they play and cheering them on. You can see it when you walk through Tottenham's home territory in North London, there are murals painted on buildings, events and advertising spread throughout the city, and merchandise worn proudly by locals.
Just like many other clubs, being a supporter of Spurs is being part of a greater collective. A unifying idea of pride, rebellion and struggle that brings people of all different cultural backgrounds and identities together. If you speak to any die-hard fan of the Spurs or any other big club, you'll soon discover that they have a level of investment that goes far beyond simply whatever happened in the last match.
Viral Spurs moments
A great benchmark of how important something is in the cultural landscape is whether or not it has any viral cachet. Tottenham Hotspur have had a couple of notable viral moments over the last couple of decades.
The most notable viral moment for Spurs fans happened in the 2019 semi-final of the Champions League. The team was up against the Amsterdam home side of Ajax and managed to put them away thanks to the awesome work of Lucas Moura, who scored a hat-trick over the course of the game. Social media engagement of the match went through the roof, and fans still reminisce about the game fondly to this day.
Not a single moment, but the work of Gareth Bale in his early days at Tottenham features prominently on many 'best goals' compilations. His ability to turn defenders inside-out and slot the ball through has helped many YouTube videos surpass a million views, and he's often wearing the Tottenham white and navy, which is great publicity for the club even years later.
While not strictly in the football realm, the unveiling of Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in April of 2019 generated something of a stir. Considering that people with no skin in the game of football found the stadium impressive enough to talk about it online, this qualifies as a mark of their footprint on popular culture. The stadium often hosts huge celebrity musicians like Post Malone in concert, bringing a little extra prestige and relevance to the club, regardless of their football performance.
Tottenham across the cultural landscape
An excellent measure of how culturally relevant something is, is to see how often it is mentioned across different forms of media. Spurs show up in TV shows, often as the butt of jokes at their lack of trophies and are referenced in music tracks by North London grime producers.
In particular, Skepta, one of North London's most prominent grime artists, has mentioned Spurs more than once in interviews. There are also a couple of global stars, such as AJ Tracey, another grime artist, Adele and even Zendaya, who have mentioned being enamoured with Tottenham and their struggles as well. The support of huge celebrities like this for the club draws eyes and turns support of the club into more than just the act of watching a game, it becomes a larger brand.
There is also the Amazon Prime documentary on the club, "All or Nothing: Tottenham Hotspur", the very existence of which speaks to a certain level of cultural significance. Documentaries like this on sports clubs let fans see what truly occurs behind the scenes and spread the influence of the club to an even wider slice of popular culture.
Spurs are more than just a club
While they may have started like so many other clubs, Spurs have become a global icon that influences and is influenced by other parts of the cultural landscape. They exist in music, in fashion and potentially in themed online casino games.
Even if you've never watched a game of football, you've likely heard the Tottenham Hotspur name and for fans, the club is much more than just watching the next match.
