on average i think its safe to say europeans know more

An average European plucked off the street against an average American plucked off the street probably knows more. I think most people would agree with that sentiment.

But what is being compared here is a European Arsenal fan versus an American Arsenal fan, and that's where I disagree even though we're thinking along the same lines. Once you're talking about fans, I think it requires the person to become at least a little educated and invested in the team. Someone in Europe could call themselves a fan because their family raised them as a fan, or that's the local team, but the American has no incentive to start being a fan of a team far away unless they've started to watch the team, gain a greater interest in the sport, etc. Yes, this sub is heavily American and anti-American sentiment usually gets downvoted. It still pops up way more often than it should and is disheartening.

I am a fan of other teams with a global following, and I'll use the example of the Chicago Bulls. I grew up in Chicago, and am a local fan in the same way someone in Islington is a local Arsenal supporter. The big difference I notice is how international fans are treated by local fans. Any time someone new pops up in /r/chicagobulls, other Internet forums or even shows up for a game, I've seen mostly friendly welcomes, invitations to future events, a willingness to educate and a distinct lack of the put downs from the veteran fans.

I don't know if it's just this subreddit (and /r/soccer) or Arsenal fans (and European soccer fans) as a whole, but it makes it tough to have constructive discussions with other fans. When I studied abroad in London I met mostly kind local supporters when I went to the matches or pubs on matchday, but now that I'm stuck using the Internet for my soccer/football related discussions it's just a lot of negativity.