Fandom and real life can be unwelcome bedfellows.

Bob Frid-USA TODAY SportsLast week, the staunch supporters of the Vancouver Whitecaps, essentially everyone that regularly visits a fan blog like this, had an emotional roller coaster of a week. One that challenged our values as to what is more important: the results on the pitch or the integrity of the man on the pitch. These situations reveal the perils of investing in a team as emotionally as we do as fans. When the escapism of our sports fandom comes face to face with the reality of real lives, and real flaws.

On Wednesday the team announced ‘the biggest day in the history of the organization’ with the opening of their new home, the National Soccer Development Centre, at UBC. It was a…