That's So Cincinnati: FC Cincinnati veteran boasts about fans, explains why he's backed off talking Trump and politics
Season 2, Episode 105, Oct 13, 2021, 09:30 PM
American soccer veteran Geoff Cameron is always outspoken about something.
A few years ago, it was about his support of Donald Trump. Nowadays, though, it's more about how much he loves Cincinnati and the city's soccer fans.
Cameron, in his first season with FC Cincinnati, spent time on his off day to chat with The Enquirer's "That's So Cincinnati" podcast partly about his decision to back away from publicly talking politics and how much he loves the fans here.
The 36-year-old former U.S. national team defender calls FC Cincinnati's fanbase the "best" in Major League Soccer. In terms of overall soccer popularity and support, Cameron said, Cincinnati is a top 5 city in the U.S. The Massachusetts native added that the unwavering support for last-place FC Cincinnati reminds him of how fans in Europe back their favorite clubs regardless of record.
Cameron would know: He played nearly a decade in Europe before returning to the U.S. this season for his second stint in MLS.
"Just walking around the city, you see FC Cincinnati shirts everywhere," Cameron said. "It's crazy. You don't see that other places (in the U.S.). Even though we've been poor, they're still loyal and deserve all the credit."
As for talking politics, Cameron did media interviews and took to Twitter to support Trump during his presidency. In a 2017 interview with Sports Illustrated, Cameron said he supported Trump's immigration policy.
“I believe it’s important to support our president whether he was your candidate or not,” Cameron told SI.com. “I am pleased he is making security of all Americans one of his top priorities. Our enemies have stated – and in Europe they have proven – they will take advantage of lax immigration procedures for the purposes of staging attacks."
Cameron faced intense backlash on social media for his ongoing support of Trump. The soccer player said it's not worth continuing to openly talk about politics now that he has other priorities such as raising his 1-year-old son.
He told "That's So Cincinnati:"
"It's a touchy subject now. As of recent, I really haven't said much because of just the way the world is now. It's really hard to have an opinion – if you don't have an opinion that's similar to other people.
"It's sad in a way of (how) I grew up. Twenty years ago, it wasn't that way. With the news and social media giants, things are shoved down people's throats whether it's good or bad. It's tough. When I was outspoken and said certain things, a lot of people said things about me that weren't true whatsoever and that was really hard to deal with. They don't know me. People are just saying things to be hateful. That's why I don't really share pictures with my family, because I don't really know what people's intentions are.
"I haven't been as outspoken now because there's other things I care about. I'm sure there are fans in Cincinnati who are conservative or liberal or whatever. Whether they want to believe the stuff that I believe in or disagree with the things that I believe, (I hope) they'll see that I am a good, genuine person. It's OK to have people with different political views or religious views, but you can respect them as a person."