MANCHESTER UNITED. BtVS Intertext/Allusion.
Formed
in 1878 and based at Old Trafford Stadium since 1910, Manchester
United
is one
of the most famous soccer teams in the world. Under the management of Sir Alex
Ferguson the team has enjoyed recent success including the quadruple win in 1999
of the English League Championship, FA Cup, European Champions League Cup and
Inter-Continental Cup. The club also works with numerous local and national
charities and internationally has raised £1 million in a three year partnership
with UNICEF.
It would seem that the club’s huge fan base includes Spike. When he gives Buffy his reasons for saving the world (when Angelus threatens to destroy it at the end of Season Two), he includes dog racing and Manchester United, as well as "Happy Meals with legs" (i.e., people!).
The following dialogue from "Becoming," Part 2 is taken from the Buffy Dialogue Database:
: What do you want?BUFFY
SPIKE: I told you. I want to stop Angel. (snickers) I want to save the world.
BUFFY: Okay. You do remember that you're a vampire, right?
SPIKE: We like to talk big. Vampires do. 'I'm going to destroy the world.' That's just tough guy talk. Strutting around with your friends over a pint of blood. The truth is, I like this world. You've got . . . dog racing, Manchester United. And you've got people. Billions of people walking around like Happy Meals with legs. It's all right here. But then someone comes along with a vision. With a real... passion for destruction. Angel could pull it off. Goodbye, Picadilly. Farewell, Leicester Bloody Square. You know what I'm saying?