Sunderland Till I Die?
How a preseason trip to Nashville turned into an unexpected love affair with one of England's proudest football clubs.
Sunderland Till I Die?
As most of you know by now, I love soccer.
Not just a little. It’s my biggest sporting passion.
Why? The people.
You all saw it during the World Cup. That’s why I love this sport. The singing. The dancing. The chanting. The scarves held high. Entire cities living and dying with ninety minutes every weekend. I’m completely obsessed.
And no country does it better than England.
I’ve been an English football fan for years. Every Saturday morning you’ll find me on the couch with an energy drink in hand, watching Premier League matches before most people in America are even awake. I love all of it.
But for the last several years, my heart has belonged to a little club called Chesterfield.
They’re currently in League Two, the fourth tier of English football. I actually became a supporter because the club was in serious financial trouble years ago. They needed supporters. I bought shares in the club to do my tiny part to help, and somewhere along the way, I fell completely in love.
They’re not a giant.
They’re proud.
I’ve even been featured in a book about Chesterfield because the author wanted to know how some random guy from Tennessee became emotionally invested in a football club in Derbyshire. I’ve sponsored players’ jerseys (Go, Jeff King). I’ve celebrated promotions. I’ve suffered relegations. It makes absolutely no sense...and perfect sense at the same time.
Maybe that’s because Chesterfield fits who I am.
I don’t naturally gravitate toward the glamour clubs. I like grit. I like people fighting against the odds. I like heartbreak because that’s life. Most of us aren’t born into championships and luxury. We struggle. We work. We hope.
My SiriusXM co-host Rick Neuheisel? He’s Manchester City. Arsenal. Liverpool. Maybe even Real Madrid. He’s polished. Successful. Country club. Golf guy. Won Rose Bowl championships. Everything seems to work out.
Me?
Give me the club that has been knocked down five times and keeps getting back up.
That’s why, as much as I’ve always enjoyed watching Arsenal, they never quite felt like mine.
My wife and I went to the Emirates a couple of years ago to watch Arsenal play Everton. It was magical. I cheered my heart out. I celebrated when they won the Premier League this past season.
But it still didn’t feel like the Chicago Bears.
Or even Chesterfield.
Maybe that’s because I grew up in Chicago instead of North London.
Or maybe it’s because fandom isn’t just about success. It’s about belonging. Which brings me to Sunderland.
Ever since the World Cup ended, I’ve been dealing with the same withdrawal every soccer fan has experienced.
Thankfully, the Premier League scheduled a preseason match in Nashville between Liverpool and Sunderland.
Usually, when I cover sporting events, I’m there because of SiriusXM. This time was different. For the first time, I applied for media credentials representing my own company, Show Pony Media.
That was a cool feeling.
When I applied, I casually mentioned to the event’s media director, Callum, that I’d be hosting for Chris “Mad Dog” Russo on Mad Dog Unleashed Thursday and Friday. I told him it would be a great opportunity to introduce Sunderland to an American audience.
They immediately jumped on it.
Not only that, they asked if I knew anyone else in American media who might be interested.
Absolutely.
The club had just unveiled one of the coolest jerseys I’ve ever seen—its Elvis-inspired away kit. Pink with black shoulders, inspired by Elvis’ iconic jumpsuits. It was created because “Can’t Help Falling in Love” has become Sunderland’s anthem, sung by tens of thousands before every home match at the Stadium of Light. It’s one of the most emotional traditions in English football.
I wanted people here to hear that story.
So I started making calls.
We arranged interviews on SiriusXM FC.
The Highway.
Storme Warren on TuneIn’s Big 615.
104.5 The Zone in Nashville.
Even SiriusXM’s Elvis channel.
Ian Taylor, Sunderland’s communications director, opened the door. I just tried to help however I could. That’s who I am. If I believe in something, I’ll pour everything I have into it.
The club couldn’t have been more appreciative.
They invited my wife and daughter to the match as their guests. My daughter has fallen in love with soccer recently, so that meant the world to us.
When CEO Tom Burwell came into our SiriusXM studios, they surprised me with a jersey signed by club legends Kevin Phillips and Kevin Ball. That wasn’t necessary. But it meant a lot.
Tom joined me live in Nashville, and I asked him a simple question.
“Why Sunderland?” Because that’s what Americans keep asking me. Who should I support?
Tom didn’t sell trophies.
He sold identity.
Sunderland isn’t London.
It isn’t glamorous.
It’s a proud working-class city in England’s northeast built on coal mining, shipbuilding, and industry. Generations of families worked incredibly hard, and through good times and bad, Sunderland AFC became the heartbeat of the community.
Football isn’t entertainment there.
It’s identity.
Founded in 1879, Sunderland became one of England’s great historic clubs, winning six English league championships and two FA Cups. They were once among the country’s giants.
Then came decades of decline. Relegation. Financial struggles. Ownership changes.
Heartbreak.
Millions of people around the world got to witness that pain through the Netflix documentary Sunderland ‘Til I Die, one of the best sports documentaries ever made. Instead of hiding from failure, Sunderland let cameras capture every painful moment.
Fans kept showing up. Forty thousand people.
In League One.
The third division.
Think about that. Most clubs would disappear. Sunderland didn’t.
Eventually, after years of frustration, they clawed their way back. Promotion to the Championship. Then promotion back to the Premier League.
They earned it.
Nothing was handed to them. As I listened to Tom tell that story, something clicked. This felt familiar.
Blue-collar.
Loyal.
Hopeful.
Heartbroken.
Determined.
It sounded a lot like college football.
It sounded a lot like the Chicago Bears.
Honestly...
It sounded a lot like me.
Then something unexpected happened. The Premier League announced supporter watch parties across America for opening weekend.
Each club would have its own city.
Sunderland’s?
Nashville.
I offered to host it.
And they said yes.
So here I am.
The guy who randomly bought shares in Chesterfield years ago because he wanted to help a struggling football club.
Now helping another proud English club tell its story in America.
Life is funny like that.
Will Sunderland ever replace Chesterfield?
No.
But could Sunderland become my Premier League club?
It sure looks like it.
Maybe this is how these things happen. Not because you pick a team. Because somehow... The team picks you.
Maybe, just maybe...
I’m Sunderland ‘Til I Die.
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