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Harry Kane, he’s one of whose own?

7 min read
by Aaron Wolfe
Kane is one of our own, but what happens if you don't feel, or don't fit the stereotype of what it is to be one of us? From across the pond Aaron Wolfe looks at what it is like watching a local boy come good on a global scale.

When I was ten-years-old I’d spend my summer afternoons in the backyard playing what I called “imagination games.” Sometimes I’d be a police officer catching bad guys, other times a miner on some futuristic planet (I read too much science-fiction). But most commonly I’d be a professional baseball player.

I’d never be a star — maybe because of some latent class consciousness, or maybe an early sign of low self-esteem — but instead I’d be a journeyman pitcher in the twilight of his career making good by striking out whoever was the star of the week. I’d stay out there for hours, my sweatpants tucked into my socks, a baseball cap on my head, playing the part as best as I could.

Sometimes a friend would come over and we’d walk down to the schoolyard. And if we could avoid being tortured by a guy called “Pubic Tim” (he carried a switchblade and had a terrible mustache that looked like a barely pubescent crotch) then we’d play stickball.

For the uninitiated, stickball is a sort of rudimentary baseball in which you throw a ball at a friend holding a broomstick who then tries to hit it. We never kept score, we didn’t really care. All we cared about was pretending that we were professional baseball players. Throw a good enough strike, or hit the ball hard enough (maybe even into Gloria’s yard!) and, no matter how old I was, I’d believe beyond a shadow of a doubt that I was about to be plucked from obscurity to play for my hometown team — The New York Yankees.

[linequote]“We” being fans of sport that are living and breathing human beings. In other words, we dreamt of being Harry Kane.[/linequote]

I think it’s a pretty universal feeling be it with Baseball, Football, Cricket, or professional Wife Tossing. We all fantasized we could join our favorite team. “We” being fans of sport that are living and breathing human beings. In other words, we dreamt of being Harry Kane.

And yet, to be honest, the first time I heard “He’s One of Our Own” flow from the faithful at White Hart Lane I didn’t quite get it. In part this is a function of living 5,000 miles away, having never set foot in England let alone North London. But also it helps that I’m a Polish-Russian-American Jew without an ounce of Anglo-Saxon blood in me. Oh and then there’s the fact that I was raised with a healthy distrust of tribalism, orthodoxy, and even fan-allegiance.

“What does ‘one of our own’ mean?” I ask myself. I mean, every time the improbable Harry Kane scores a goal I want to crawl out of my skin, climb to a mountain top and scream “THANK GOD FOR TOTTENHAM, THANK GOD FOR HARRY KANE!” But at the same time, I can’t possibly believe that Kane is “one of us” when I constantly believe that I don’t even belong.

On a Tottenham-specific forum (to remain unnamed) a great debate has often raged about the difference between so-called “plastic” fans and “real” supporters. “You can’t call yourself a supporter if you don’t go to matches!” They shout. “Don’t tell me Soldado has a lovely first touch, or Lamela’s haircut makes him look like a 55-year-old lesbian from Utah! You can’t have an opinion if you don’t see them play live!”

I watch games from my apartment in Brooklyn. My two-year-old son marches around the living room while I sing “Oh When the Spurs…” I’ve made him sob on more than one occasion because Eriksen has just scored a late winner and I’ve almost dislocated my shoulder from pumping my fist so hard.

But am I one of you?

A few months ago I joined an expat Spurs supporter now living in South Carolina at a bar in Manhattan’s Chelsea to watch a game played in Liverpool. The geography of the whole thing was mind bending, especially when you factor in that he is an Iraqi-Brit and I’m a Polish-Russian-Jew. When Harry Kane scored in the 26th minute we jumped up and down, we embraced, we screamed until we were hoarse and then we sang “He’s one of our own, he’s one of our own!” But I did it with the tiniest of shame. Deep down in my heart I felt I was play acting. This expat from South Carolina had the right to sing. He’d been born and bred Tottenham. I was a fraud.

[fullquote]I can’t possibly believe that Kane is “one of us” when I constantly believe that I don’t even belong.[/fullquote]

This discomfort only deepens when you take into consideration the recent spate of terribly right-wing anti-immigration sentiment in the news and on the various forums I visit. That plus a healthy amount of hearing about “that lazy African wage thief” and it doesn’t take much to make me feel genuinely uncomfortable that we have players from Argentina, France, Algeria, and Belgium playing out of their skin and yet we sing “one of our own” about Harry Kane. As if to say that the others don’t belong. The others are just for hire. But English pride is reserved for English players.

This past Friday I booted up my computer, set the IP spoofer to “United Kingdom” and loaded the ITV player to watch England play Lithuania. To be honest based on the pre WWII geography of the Soviet Union I probably had more rights rooting for the Lithuanians than I did the Three Lions. And full disclosure: I hated watching Rooney and Welbeck score. I simply don’t understand the draw of International Football and so all I see is players that I hate scoring and celebrating. On a cellular level my body says: it is wrong to feel joy for a Wayne Rooney goal.

But then Harry Kane took off his bib and pulled on his shirt. And suddenly I leaned in. I fired off a series of Facebook messages on a Spurs forum. I turned up the volume.

And when he scored after only 80 seconds on the pitch a tear welled up in my eye. Twitter came alive, Facebook notifications went through the roof. And I felt something that was undeniable: one of our own had just scored for England.

It’s not just that he grew up supporting Spurs. And it’s not just that he’s from North London. It’s something much larger than that. Harry Kane unlike any player I’ve ever watched, looks like he’s thrilled to be there. He looks like he’s filled out a form in the back of a kids magazine that says “tell us in fifty words or less why you want to play football when you grow up.” He’s won his place for a day in the starting lineup and, lookout, turns out the kid can actually play!

[linequote]He looks like he’s filled out a form in the back of a kids magazine that says “tell us in fifty words or less why you want to play football when you grow up.”[/linequote]

If Hollywood knew anything about anything they’d be in the middle of a deathmatch to buy the rights to remake “Bend it like Beckham” but this time make it a dumb kid from the suburbs. Call it “Kurl it like Kane.” That one’s for free, Hollywood.

As the England game wound down I finally understood what that song meant. Harry Kane is all of us. He’s living a fantasy that is so universal that all of Wembley could have sung it and they would be telling the truth.

I don’t know if I’ll ever truly feel like “one of us.” That’s a deficiency of mine I’ve had for as long as I’ve been alive and in truth has very little to do with football or Tottenham or nationality or whatever. But I will always be a dreamer. I will always be a romantic.

Harry Kane has given me and so many a little fuel for our fire. And when five years from now he’s got his newly dyed hair tucked into a pink cap, wandering petulantly around London waiting to be sold to some newly rich club in the soon to be formed Coca-Cola League of Eastern Uzbekistan, it will still be true: he’s one of our own, he’s one of our own. Harry Kane. He’s one of our own.

All views and opinions expressed in this article are the views and opinions of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of The Fighting Cock. We offer a platform for fans to commit their views to text and voice their thoughts. Football is a passionate game and as long as the views stay within the parameters of what is acceptable, we encourage people to write, get involved and share their thoughts on the mighty Tottenham Hotspur.

Aaron Wolfe is a screenwriter, storyteller, film editor, occasional podcaster, and proud dad from Brooklyn, NY

15 Comments

  1. CoysRus
    30/03/2015 @ 11:52 am

    You only have to be a THFC supporter to feel belonging. One of our own means coming through the ranks of our development. You can sing it with pride, without embarrassment. If you support then you beyond. COYS.

    • Aaron Wolfe
      30/03/2015 @ 2:34 pm

      Thanks! Appreciate it.

  2. CoysRus
    30/03/2015 @ 11:53 am

    *belong*.

  3. James
    30/03/2015 @ 12:14 pm

    Really interesting insight into being a non-English Spurs fan, great article.

    Don’t you dare put those thoughts in the last paragraph in my head though!

    • Aaron Wolfe
      30/03/2015 @ 2:35 pm

      James, I sincerely hope I’m wrong… about the pink hat ;)

  4. seantheyid
    30/03/2015 @ 2:01 pm

    I am sorry to inform you, He never grew supporting spurs he and all he’s family support the dark side of woolwich aka the scum.
    but hey ho COYS.

  5. henry
    30/03/2015 @ 3:51 pm

    great article, great conclusion, great sentiment.

  6. Patnevin
    30/03/2015 @ 5:39 pm

    Harry is a Spurs fan. He played for the arse as a young age but from his own lips “I used to watch Tottenham from the stands and idolized teddy sheringham”. Awesome article btw!! As posted though “one of our own” is directed to him coming through the ranks. I haven’t been to a game in a good few years now but I still count myself as much a fan as anyone….so should you. If it hurts when we lose? You’re “one of our own” mate

    • seantheyid
      31/03/2015 @ 5:38 pm

      harry is not a spurs fan i come from north London and none of the spurs fans i know was on the streets of north London wearing scum shirts with dyed red hair celebrating there league and cup double, so i do not care what he says i know spurs fans who know he’s family they are all gooners, but i dont care about that (this is my club) bollox they are footballers and have no feelings for the club like fans do, none whatsoever,
      thank you.

  7. AJ
    30/03/2015 @ 10:09 pm

    You do realise that Tottenham has historically been a Jewish football club?

    You are very much our own.

    • Aaron Wolfe
      31/03/2015 @ 3:38 pm

      I do realize the clubs Jewish connection. But I’ve written on here before that I don’t really relate to that. For me it’s much more about the sense of history, the incredible (at times) football, the pain mixed with joy that connects me to the club.

      It’s the thrill of a last minute goal, or a lightening fast marauding attack… followed immediately by the pain conceding two goals and getting a red card. Tottenham is my drug. Jewish club or not.

  8. gibbs131
    31/03/2015 @ 3:00 pm

    Great article.

  9. Nick
    01/04/2015 @ 4:34 pm

    Great article again Aaron – good to see something from you again. Are you posting elsewhere at the moment? Not seen anything on lilywhiteandblue for a while….keep up the good work..

  10. IKnowAlanGilzean
    04/04/2015 @ 12:32 pm

    Excellent and evocative piece, Aaron, thanks.

    Kane’s been at Spurs since he was a kid, and has supported them since then, even if he started as an Arsenal fan, if he did. I don’t know why that’s so difficult for people to understand.

    Anyone who loves Spurs, is Spurs. I felt that in all the years I was travelling the country watching the team and now I live abroad and haven’t been for what has crept up to a decade now! These days being a regular fan means being a relatively wealthy one, rather than necessarily a badge of devotion or proximity to the Lane.

    I feel Kane, Townsend and Mason and Bentaleb are ours because they came through the ranks, which is rarer and rise in top level European let alone English football. Burt also, as Aaron says, because of Harry and the others’ attitude to playing football and being at Spurs.

    I’m please we are so behind the ‘local’ lads because when I was going week in week out the likes of Pratt, Falco, Miller and Samways and others got less of a fair crack of the whip from Spurs fans than imported big money signings. Though Perryman, Campbell, King and Hoddle were loved maybe because they werte better players but how do we expalin the crap Steffan Fruend and idolation? I like Freund but he wasn’t very good for us.

  11. Michael
    14/04/2015 @ 12:00 am

    Aaron, I also reflect on such things: just where do I fit in the Tottenham Hotspur supporter hierarchy? I’m a Polish-American (with a Slavic accent and corresponding facial features), a New Jerseyan, now also a Californian… Do you think the grumpy old guys I sat next to at White Hart Lane would have thought me one of their own? Probably not. But there is no need to over-analyze such things. It’s only important to make oneself available to his (or her) nearest supporters’ group. Maybe the English, season ticket holding old-timer is the most legitimate supporter, but as long as you’re not the clown with facebook likes for 7 different teams in every big league, you’re probably a proper supporter. Our supporters’ clubs in the US are typically a mix of English and assorted American (and even random others), as you probably know, and it works just fine. Get over your “deficiency”. Everyone comes across snobby types who deem us inadequate to fly the standard with them. Eff ’em… Eff ’em all, eff ’em all, United, West Ham, Liverpool!… Oops, got derailed there a little. But I’m actually done.

Would you like to write for The Fighting Cock?