Why have a ceremonial banner-raising? You’ve already won the Cup, and spent the summer celebrating it. Some would argue that the traditional opening night banner-raising is the perfect chance to close the book by taking a final look back at that ultimate victory, sharing the moment with fans and teammates before embarking on the difficult journey of defending that title.
Wrong. The point is to make the other team feel bad.
OK, I may be alone on this. It’s probably at least a little bit about that other stuff. But I’ve always been fascinated with the banner-raising tradition, and more specifically with the selection of the night’s opponent.