Don't worry.
You're not in the middle of a bank or train robbery. You haven't stepped onto the set of a Western movie remake. There hasn't been an outbreak of that SARS thing.
If you happen to see more than the normal amount of American Flag bandanas today (and by "normal amount" we do mean "zero") - you've just had the good fortune to cross paths with a member of the American Outlaws on a World Cup game day for the USMNT.
The American Outlaws is the grassroots organization that is leading the charge to make American football fans relevant on the global stage. The AO story is, quite frankly, surprising. It all started in Lincoln, Nebraska a place where Tom Osborne was able to turn American football success into three terms as a U.S. Representative and not necessarily a hotbed of international culture. However, when they say all it takes is one person to start a movement, in this case it only took 3 - founders Korey Donahoo, Justin Brunken, and Ben Cohoon.
The initial dream of these futbol fanatics was simply to get the sound on at a local sports bar. Their first organized trip to support the USMNT in 2007 sounds like it was 90% rolling frat party and 10% sports experience.
The group embraced their "outsider" status in the land of the Huskers and the global football culture, choosing a name and the pirate/bandit-inspired icon of a bandana that made their uncommon passion a badge of honor. And now the rest of the country is starting to catch up. Seven years after that initial trip, the group has 18,000 members, more than 135 Chapters across the country (and based on 6 being founded between June 11 and 12 that number will be much higher by the end of the Cup run), took a sold-out group of about 500 members to Brazil to support the USMNT in all three knockout round games, and has more than 52,000 Facebook fans.
A group of American Outlaws in Brazil for World Cup 2014 (Photo: @sethayates | Twitter)
What has been impressive is the speed with which this group has helped lay the foundation for an indigenous culture around a national team that essentially had none before. True, we aren't exactly going to be confused with the Dutch fans (I mean, can all these RVs even fit in Holland?) and some of the other nations that have measured their sporting lives primarily through their national soccer teams for decades. However, it's pretty difficult to watch some of their videos and not get chills and be compelled to Join The Movement as they say.
We at The18.com have already made sure you can follow along with the Outlaws' chants during a watch party and made ESPN's star-studded tribute video a must watch on our Community page (who knew Don Draper loved futbol?), and Landon Donovan gave them a shout-out in giving Jurgen Klinsmann a shot across the bow. And of course you've got that World Cup fever. So, we think it's time to find your local chapter, order your bandana and join the Outlaws movement. Because today could be the start of something special. And there's no better time to say #IBelieve.
