Sports can be a passionate affair - no matter what the sport. Debates rage on between devotees as to which sport is the best, and within each sport about which is the best team. Soccer is no different than any other sport in this regard - if anything soccer arouses more passion than normal (which can be both good and bad).

Throughout the world, soccer is by far the most followed sport - with leagues in most every country. FIFA, the world governing body of soccer, has more members than the United Nations itself. With a fanbase this large, its no wonder then that fans the world over have developed a number of traditions and practices when it comes to this game that so many of us share.

Here in America, and in Columbus specifically, we receive these traditions as a younger brother might - we've seen (and some of us even experienced) the way other cultures celebrate this game. And yet, at the same time, there are other sets of tradition we see around us every day - from OSU football to Clippers baseball (and shortly, Blue Jackets hockey). There are traditions in these sports as well - with which many of the fans around us are more familiar.

This, then, is our challenge. We have all, in some way, become devotees of soccer. Whether that fanaticism started by playing the game as a child, experiencing the game oversees, or being a fan of Columbus sports in general, we all have adopted the Crew in different ways. How can we celebrate this team, and this sport, together?

Our response to this challenge is the North End. A loose community of Crew fans all focused on celebrating our team - the Columbus Crew. There is no other purpose for our collective existence save that.

Unfortunately, there are other issues which we all attempt to address. If professional soccer has one image in this country, it tends to be "that sport that causes riots overseas". This is something we are all aware of - and something we must all work to change. Soccer is not an inherently violent sport - nor should its fans be. If there is one other uniting force behind the North End, it is a shared decision to celebrate the game positively.

This means getting to know fans from other cities - and celebrating with them when appropriate (before and after the game, we're all still soccer fans - and there's few enough of us as it is in this country without our killing each other off). This also means being open to fans whose background and identity may not match our own (fans in the North End came to the game through many routes - and so far we've all managed to get along fairly well).

Together, we celebrate our team - noisily, passionately, actively. We stand the entire game and make noise as long as our voices hold out. Never afraid to chastise as well as encourage (for both are the role of the fan), we wear our hearts on our sleeves for 90 minutes each game day and leave the game exhausted. We are always looking for better ways to celebrate the team, and give them the support (both on and off the field) which they have earned.

Does this sound like an enticing environment? Join us! Sneak down for a few minutes at first if you like, or take the plunge and buy a ticket in section 137. Clap along, introduce yourself to those around you, sing when you know the words. We're generally an open and inviting bunch of fans, and more of us can only help our team and our sport.