The argument between Seattle and Portland often boils down to the most rudimentary of supports: Who has the best bars? The best restaurants? The best soccer team?
Now, the argument has been given another layer: Who has the best public library?
While the typical questions have long been debated between residents of the Rose City and the Emerald City, the Multnomah County Public Library will be taking on the Seattle Public Library in a battle of literacy.
On Thursday, Apr. 3, fans from both cities will be able to tweet their respective libraries about book suggestions. Users will be asked to tweet their library with the title of a book they enjoyed, and ask for a similar book as a recommendation. At the end of the contest, the library that responds to the most requests, aka, scores a goal, will win.
The losing side will have to create a display in their library of the winning team's city, don the colors of their rivals, with a photo of it all being posted to Facebook to prove they have paid their debt.
Here's some soccer book ideas to get the ideas flowing. Begin your warmups now!
Soccer in Sun and Shadow - by Eduardo Galeano
Soccer Against The Enemy - by Simon Kuper
Inverting the Pyramid: The History of Football Tactics - by Jonathan Wilson
The 1975 Portland Timbers: The Birth of Soccer City, USA - by Michael Orr
And that's just a start. Both libraries hope the contest will not only allow fans to compete against one another, but encourage reading and membership to available titles suggested. The contest starts at 4:30 p.m. PT and lasts for 90 minutes, running until 6 p.m.
Portland fans should post their queries to the Multnomah County Library on Twitter with @MultCoLib using the hashtags #bookmatch and #PDXreads while Seattle will use #SEAreads.
