In his narrative essay “Home Debut,” Nick Hornby provides a humorous account of how he became a football (soccer) fan and fell in love with Arsenal, a team notorious for consistently losing. He begins by describing his childhood in a suburb of England along with how he was affected by his parents’ separation. Desperate for some way to bond with his son, Hornby’s father takes him to a football match, hoping that his son will share his love of the sport. The outing was a success, and Hornby and his father could finally relate to each other thanks to football.
Hornby credits the first match that he went to, which ended with Arsenal winning 1-0 on a penalty rebound goal, for starting his lifelong obsession with football. He recalls the outrage and disappointment of the fans in the stands at any number of other matches he attended, and he wonders why football fans continue to support teams that lose consistently. The angst of the fans existed regardless of their team’s score. He concludes that football shaped his life by introducing him to the idea of “entertainment as pain” and that becoming a football fanatic was inevitable.
