Passion of the Playoffs: “I’ve spent hundreds of hours making tifos this year”
For soccer fans in the United States and in Europe the word ‘ tifo ’ is a familiar one. It is used to describe the vast displays of flags and banners created by supporters to pay tribute to their player, their team or their city. The name comes from the Italian word ‘ tifosi ’, which literally translates to ‘ those infected with typhus ’. It references the frenzied, irrational nature of soccer fandom in Italy, but it could be applied more specifically to those die-hard supporters willing to spend hundreds of hours to produce the stunning works of sporting art. "We are Groot" 😤@AustinFC supporters with the Guardians of the Galaxy tifo. pic.twitter.com/SfIea1mx2N — Major League Soccer (@MLS) May 21, 2023 Ryan Bross is the President of Philadelphia Union supporters group Sons of Ben and takes an active role in the tifo creation process. Likewise Chris Zimmermann of St. Louis City Punks has spent hundreds of hours producing tifos in the club’s inaugural season. As p...