KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- You may not know much beyond the fact that it's a soccer team, David Beckham once played there and it's likely based somewhere in the vicinity of Manchester, England, but at the very least, you probably know the name Manchester United.
The reason you've at least heard of it is because this team is among the richest and most popular sports franchises on the planet.
But there's more to Manchester United than just being rich and well known. Here's a primer to get you up to speed on this team and why it's such a big deal that it's playing in Kansas City on Sunday and the MLS All-Stars on Wednesday.
Who is "Manchester United"?
By this point, if you aren't familiar with this team at least by name, I presume you probably have just returned from a vacation to North Korea. But here goes: It's a soccer team based in Manchester, England. And it will be playing against the Kansas City Wizards in an exhibition game on Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium.
Would I have heard of any of the players?
You've probably heard of Wayne Rooney, but he's not part of this tour. He's on vacation after the World Cup. Maybe you've heard of Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Dimitar Berbatov and Edwin Van der Sar.
I don't really know them. Are any of them on the billboards around town?
The red-headed guy is Scholes, the 5-o'clock-shadow dude is Giggs and the other guy is midfielder Darren Fletcher. (They're all pretty good.)
How long has the team been in existence?
Since 1878. Back then, it was named Newton Heath Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway (it was a mouthful, and it was called simply Newton Heath LYR). The team was made up of railyard workers. In 1902, owner John Henry Davies changed the name.
Why is it called "Manchester United"?
Because the team is based in Manchester, the third-largest city in England, and Davies believed his team could "unite" the entire city. Did I mention yet that legend states that Davies, a local brewer, tried to buy a dog that belonged to Newton Heath LYR captain Harry Stafford and ended up instead buying the team? Because that's a funny story. Davies was the chairman of the team until he died in 1927. He also led the building of their stadium, Old Trafford.
How "old" is Old Trafford?
The stadium they play in was built in 1910. That's not a misprint. It turns 100 years old this year. It used to hold 80,000 fans. Thanks to modern adjustments and the addition of modern seats, it holds only 76,000 or so today. It's also called "The Theatre of Dreams." It is unknown if progressive rock band Dream Theater stole its name from the stadium.
Does the team have a nickname?
The Red Devils.
Who manages the team?
Cantankerous Scot Sir Alex Ferguson has led the team since 1986. He has overseen 11 Premier League titles and two Champions League titles.
You said earlier that this team was rich. How rich?
In January 2010, Forbes estimated Manchester United's value at $1.87 billion, making it the richest club in the entire world. (Though in April, Forbes proclaimed the New York Yankees the most valuable club by taking into account demographics, league and other mystical matrices.) Earlier this month, Chicago-based risk management insurance firm Aon was revealed as the team's jersey sponsor. Aon paid a reported $120 million to $140 million for this privilege.
Why is that a big deal?
Aon is a relatively unknown company that wants to attach itself to the most popular team in the world. After all, the most popular team tends to sell the most jerseys.
This money has led to a lot of success, right?
Oh, very much so. The team has won 18 English League titles (seven in the English First Division and 11 since the formation of the Premier League in 1992). It also has won 11 FA Cups (a season-long knockout tournament that includes almost every level of pro soccer in the country) and three UEFA Champions League crowns. In 1999, the team won the league, the FA Cup and the Champions League. In fancy British talk, that's called a "treble." That would be like the Yankees winning the regular season and the World Series, then going to Japan to beat the champion there.
So who owns the team and reaps the benefit of this success?
Americans! Can you believe that? The Glazer family (which also owns the Tampa Bay Buccaneers) bought the team in 2005.
I bet the Brits love being owned by an American family, huh?
Oh, they loathe it. But it's not just because they are Americans, it's because the Glazers are an American family that has taken a hugely profitable and debt-free team and made it a slightly profitable and debt-laden team. There have been numerous fan protests the last year, with many fans opting to wear the colors of Newton Heath (yellow and green) instead of the team's signature red and white.
You've mentioned the New York Yankees twice so far. Is that the best American equivalent of the Red Devils?
If you judge a team based solely on its brand recognition, overall value, on-the-field results, year-after-year domination, the hatred of opposing teams' fans and the proclivity to purchase the biggest and most expensive players, then the answer is, obviously, yes.
The Yankees are very popular throughout the world. Is that the same for Manchester Untied?
According to Richard Arnold, the commercial director for Manchester United, the team's worldwide fanbase is 330 million. They achieved this number via an independent survey of 28,000 soccer fans in 21 countries, he said. That number accounts for fans who might have a team they follow in their country (like the Wizards, for instance) but also follow Manchester United.
What, 330 million? That's a lot. I'm having a hard time wrapping my brain around how many people that really is.
It is a lot. Put it this way, if the team's followers would form their own country, they would be the third-largest country in the world, behind only China and India. The team estimates that 7 million of those fans are based right here in the United States, and they obviously think there's a substantial number of those fans who will travel to Kansas City.
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