Legit Science: Liverpool Are Most Sung About Club in Premier League

It's very challenging to go a full day without hearing about some new "study" about something or other. The skeptical amongst us immediately begin to ask questions about sample sizes, control groups, correlation vs causation, and the all important peer review, but much to our disappointment not all studies are as rigorous in their pursuit of findings as we'd hope them to be.

Thus it came to pass that Liverpool was determined to be the club that opposition fans most love to sing about in the Premier League, as per a "study" consisting of tallying the total number of negative songs about a given club on noted scientific journal FanChants.co.uk. Liverpool top the list with 50 songs dedicated to denigrating the Reds or Scousers in general, followed by Spurs with 42, Manchester City with 39, Sunderland with 35 (most courtesy of their musical neighbours in Newcastle), and Manchester United rounding out the top five with 34.

Liverpool fans won't be surprised by this information, leniently gathered though it may be. It's rare for Liverpool to face opposition who don't sing at least one song about the Merseyside club, and Steven Gerrard in particular has done such a good job of getting under the skin of rival fans over the years that despite his semi-retirement to MLS, many opposition supporters still feel compelled to sing about a man who hasn't played for Liverpool in six months.

Though Liverpool don’t claim the title of most sung about club in England — that honour goes to Leeds United with 117 songs — it seems a dubious honour at best to be the most hated and/or envied club in the Premier League as measured by dulcet voices raised in song. That rival fans take the time to sing about Liverpool rather than supporting their own clubs reinforces Liverpool's continued relevance in English football while simultaneously asking questions about the curious nature of fandom in sport.