White Legion?

The Union Flag?

Oh yeah, I forgot that I am not supposed to answer questions with a question.

"Wild Boys" on the left, and "White Legion" on the right. Done by WFS and ZWL.

A few Legia fans are disgusted with the fact that Legia ultras still pay tribute to the many great groups which hailed, and still hail, Legia in a way which they feel too controversial. Well guess what, Legia has always been, and will always be controversial. Our (L) symbol itself brings about negative feelings in most football fans, and ultras, in Poland, so why not piss off the rest which stand against us? What have we got to lose?

I know that the wolf's hook, which is present in the White Legion flag, or the SS-like 'S' in the Wild Boys flag, may bring about only xenophobic and anti-alien mentality, but come on, just because we listen to an Elvis Presley song, it  does not mean that it will bring us back to the era which it thrived in. Just like hanging up, or referring back to, such flags (as mentioned earlier) will not bring about a sudden massive flow of skinheads or ultra nationalists. If someone will want to do something, he or she will do it. Regardless of the ideology, or the directions gathered from which ever side.

I for one am for the remembrance of such flags which trace back the history of a movement whose roots consist of certain subcultures which managed to find their place in a given community. If the majority feels that such flags should not be presented, then I believe that such flags would not hang. However, they do represent Legia fans - the former, the present, and the ones to come. Provoking is what we do best, and everybody seems to be a victim of such an easy game play.

I mentioned the Union Flag in the beginning, due to the fact that some people view it at as racist*, or 'not with the times'** (I have yet to find articles pertaining to the Union Flag as representing imperialism, but I figure that it is a matter of time... or I did not look thoroughly enough). Does this mean that anybody sporting the Union Flag is a racist? Or that whoever still cherishes such colors is not up to date with what is 'cool' and 'hip'?

Would getting rid of the wolf's hook on the White Legion flag, and replacing it with - let's say - a more profitable symbol (such as the Golden Arches) be a better idea? Hell, you might even be able to hit two birds with one stone. Support your team, and get McDonald's to pay for the advert for every second that the flag is shown on TV... Or perhaps we should toss aside the corporate idea and go for a more cute look by placing the Hello Kitty (nomen omen, the full name being "Kitty White") face between "White" and "Legion"?

The "White Legion" flag against FAK in Vienna.

The only problem is still the SS-like 'S' in the Wild Boys flag... But then again, if Slayer can get away with it (whilst attracting thousands of fans, and selling millions of copies of their albums), then why can't a small group of Legia fanatics?

A sticker replica of the "Wild Boys" flag.

So, to the few who keep voicing their opinion with respect to the afore mentioned flags, keep on doing what you do best, so that others may see that you are the minority in the Legionary ultras community. A minority which will not survive the immortal "Żyleta".

The newest piece of graffiti commemorating 3 legendary Legia flags.  Done by WFS and ZWL.

* http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article62787.ece
** http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/2981038.stm

Why Legia?

Why not?

I thought that answer would suffice, but supposedly one should not answer a question with a question. So, where does my passion for Legia come from? Why do I feel the need to go to matches to scream at the top of my lungs for over 90 minutes? What joy do I receive from the countless minutes of lip biting (switched from nails to lips a few years ago since one tends to run out of nails quite fast...), finger picking, hair grabbing, foot tapping, and disgruntling, as I watch my beloved team try and bring home a 1:0 victory over a 2nd (sometimes 3rd...) rate team?

This fiery passion has its beginning in the days when I was a child. Our neighborhood was ruled by Legia fans, and wherever you would look - wall, hallway, staircase, toilet, desk, train, or what have you - you would see the holy symbol: a black L in a circle. I could not enjoy this for that long of a period of time, since fate had me move away to the "Western" - more 'civilized' - part of the world. After a 10+ year exodus, I came back to Poland, and it was a matter of time before the sparks from my childhood past kindled the fiery passion that is Legia.

The need to express this passion - in more ways than one - comes from the mere mental reason, that bottling all of this up, would most likely have negative effects for the rest of society. So I guess that all of you anti-ultras hot dog munching naysayers should be glad that the level of 'hate and aggression' only escalates to the level that it does within our community (you somehow forget that...), because what would happen if we did not have publicly funded cages to release our emotions in for 90+ minutes? Sure, these emotions go beyond our stadium grounds, and we praise our club on the streets of Warsaw after a win. And we brighten up the city with different graffiti. Or let others know we have been somewhere by leaving stickers. It is a humanimal behavior. You are letting the others know that you are around. A prey will not feel fear, until it feels it is in danger. And it will not feel danger, unless it feels itself to be prey.

Anyway, enough about the food chain. It's not like we feed on the bodies of all the other rivals we kill... You are what you eat, and fate knows we don't want to become like those poor suckers. Unfortunately for them, they'll never get to feel how great it is to be a fan of the best football club in the world... And I guess that answers the last question. No matter how poorly our sack kickers play. No matter how many matches we'll lose to beyond below par teams. No matter which league we will play in. We will always live with the conviction that our team is the best in the world.

Therefore, regardless of when you read this, the fact remains that you have learned of Legia Warszawa. And whether or not you will want to come back and read more, check out some videos/photos, or research the club's history, is beyond me. I will be satisfied after writing up a piece regarding an issue which I feel needs to be addressed. Be it regarding our family of fans, our club, or our heroic city...

...or a good day amongst the many thousand we go through.

So, once again.
Why Legia?
Why not?