I finished watching both seasons of Sunderland 'Til I Die on Netflix, and I have been itching to write about this documentary, and to write a football post in general this year. I will write about my thoughts on the documentary, but I will also compare and contrast Sunderland's overall community (from the owners to the local supporters) to my days on going to Toronto FC matches. When I was watching this documentary there were instances where I felt like I was back in BMO Field, and there were things that Sunderland do that I wish Toronto FC could replicate.
Sunderland 'Til I Die is a well-produced and well-crafted documentary, with satisfying access into the inner workings of Sunderland Athletic Football Club. However, this is not the main reason why this documentary is so good. When filming started on Sunderland's 2017-2018 season, Sunderland suffered relegation from the Premier League and were playing in the Championship. I had the feeling that there was the expectation that Sunderland were going to bounce right back into the Premier League, and we would be seeing a feel-good story of sorts. If you watched Season 1, you would know that this is not what happened. In Season 1 (the 2017-2018 season), Sunderland were relegated for a second straight season into League 1. Instead of the expectation of jubilation, the viewer instead received the perfect storm of misery, and misery makes for outstanding television in this case. This is why Sunderland 'Til I Die is so gripping.
There was an equal amount of time dedicated between the manager/boardroom executives and the local supporters. I will just briefly talk about my opinion on some of the executives. I have a neutral opinion of Martin Bain. He has showed incompetence at his job as Chief Executive in Season 1, but he also had to deal with the owner's unwillingness to spend on transfers. Stewart Donald (the Chairman of Sunderland in Season 2) seems to be a likable person, but he has no idea on how to run a football club on the football side of things. His naivety was front and center in his desperation to sign Will Grigg in the January transfer window and he paid a significant amount of money to sign the striker. I thought Charlie Methven (another executive at the club) was a rather rude individual with an aura of phoniness. He was unlikable, and I had the feeling that he was looking down on the generally working-class supporters from his own privilege.
The thing that I was most interested in for this documentary is the profiling of the local supporters of Sunderland A.F.C. As with many other clubs in England, Sunderland supporters live and die with the club and the city. When watching Sunderland lose at the Stadium of Light, the cameras would show certain supporters yell and cuss at the players in a bid of frustration. Watching these supporters took me back to going to BMO Field watching Toronto FC between 2010 and 2013; where there were many supporters (including myself) just air out our frustrations after yet another disappointing draw or loss. I was impressed with how connected the club is with the local supporters and the community to the point where Sunderland A.F.C. is not just a club, but also rather an institution. There are seemingly regular meetings between the boardroom staff and supporters, where supporters can ask questions regarding the direction of the club. I wish this would be something Toronto FC would mirror in order to create a stronger sense of community, but MLSE have no reason to do so, unfortunately.
One of the most eye-opening things about this documentary for me is how Sunderland's relegation affected the community, and in particular, how it affects the club staff (from the chefs to the ticket agents). When a club suffers relegation, and their expenses become unsustainable, the boardroom staff have to find ways to reduce those expenses. Unfortunately, the jobs of some of the staff become surplus to requirements, and so there are former staff that are out of work. This highlights a negative of having a promotion/relegation system (not that I am getting into that debate), as the community is negatively affected in an economic sense when a club is relegated. As Toronto FC plays in MLS, and MLS does not have a promotion/relegation system, TFC can have a terrible season, and the club does not have to worry about laying off staff because of a potential relegation.
If you are any sort of football fan, then Sunderland 'Til I Die is crucial watching. Watching this documentary is agony at times, and you feel for the local supporters of the club. However, the documentary is successful in showing how ingrained the club is with the city and the community. I wish this were something that Toronto FC could replicate, but that would take decades, let alone years. On top of that, Toronto FC still have to compete with the other Toronto sports teams, where the other teams have had a head start in their formation. I do feel a sense of catharsis when watching this documentary, as I felt the same emotions with many of the Sunderland supporters who go to the matches as when I go to Toronto FC matches. Despite the general malaise and misery, watching Sunderland 'Til I Die was good for my soul.
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