Times Square has been the setting for viral fan activity during this World Cup, from the Norwegian mass elliptical rowing session to Germans jumping up and down while wearing culturally insensitive headgear. On Friday, the day before the Three Lions face Panama in their decisive Group L fixture, it was surely England’s turn to seize centre stage. As various news crews waited at the junction of Broadway and 42nd Street to capture the moment, however, the only visible presence was two blokes holding up a flag of St George with “Seaham Harbour” written on it.
“We don’t usually do dances or anything like that,” explained Joe, one of the flag bearers, who hails from Florida via Sunderland and says he works for Nasa in crowd control. “We just like to do arm curls, as we call it, and have a good time.” He mimes the specific curl, it is the kind that moves a glass from bar to mouth.
