Passion for football

[flez85]

Hey all, first let me introduce myself. I'm an American in a somewhat small town of Lincoln, Nebraska. I've grown up with a major passion and love for my local (American) college football team, the Nebraska Cornhuskers. This spurred me on to my high school playing days, which I thoroughly enjoyed, there's nothing quite like suiting up in pads and knocking people around. I've settled down a lot since, but the sport used to be my outlet for my aggression. Fact is, there weren't too many circumstances that presented themselves to absolutely pummel somebody and get a pat on the back for it.

Other than playing for a YMCA team as a young lad, I've only recently begun to follow what is known to the rest of the world as football (soccer to me), as the 2010 World Cup was the first time I remember any soccer being shown on TV in copious amounts. It was during the WC that I realized that soccer truly is the world's sport, and being the patriot that I am, I wanted to see the good old US of A do well. I think we got jipped, but still did well compared to expectations. I found that after the conclusion of the WC (and the always entertaining story of Paul the octopus) my **** for the sport was only just budding, and I therefore started to follow English football, which is much more interesting than the MLS here in the states.

Anyway, the point of posting this is to get a feel for just how passionate people are about the sport. I've found very few places that get as passionate for a team as we here in Nebraska do for our beloved Cornhuskers, but it seems that international soccer may do just that. However, I'm interested in the violent side of things. As an American, you hear of all the horror stories of different "Firms" that associate themselves with soccer teams. This especially piqued my interest after seeing films such as Green Street Hooligans and The Football Factory.

I guess I was mainly just wondering if these firms actually exist in the way they're portrayed, with the meeting up and brawling, and the criminal activity. I'm sure they do/did at one time, but like most other things, I'm speculating that the negative aspects have been magnified 100x by the media. In Nebraska, we're known for our hospitality and kindness to opposing teams' fans, and I've always found it curious when people resort to violence over the following of a sports team (something that I reserve for the occasional drunken night out).

 

[Athe~]

Last week a couple guys got shot after a brawl outside a cabaret, a fight between two factions of the same club, Boca Juniors. From what I've seen over here in Argentina I can safely assume firms in Britain are more or less the same, just as torçidas are in Brazil.

 

[curtis290]

Hey flez85! I'm a fellow American and it's great you're getting into the sport too. I was raised on American sports as well but have become converted to a huge soccer fan over the past several years. Going to the World Cup in 2006 really got me into it more than before, and when I lived in Argentina for a while, I became totally addicted...nothing but soccer was on all day and I picked an Argentine team and went to many of their games. Now the only thing other than soccer I can stand to watch is an NFL game when my favorite team was playing (I would prefer college sports but I didn't go to a Division I school, so I don't have a team).

In terms of passion, nothing equals soccer in the US. Not even close. Imagine the craziest UNebraska game you can think of in terms of how into it the fans are. Well, multiply that by about 10 and that's what a relatively important game is for soccer fans. Watching it on TV just doesn't do it justice, it's something you have to see live. Fans from Western Europe, for the most part, are some of the least crazy in the football world, but they still get way more into it than what you'll see at American sporting events.

In a place like Argentina, they are so into it that you can't sit in 'el popular' (where the majority of the fans sit) during an important game because it's just too intense. I did it once and felt lucky by the end not to have been trampled. Watch Boca Juniors' fans when they celebrate goals. Even if it's an unimportant game, everyone in el popular (and this is a great number of people all crammed into a tiny space) charges the fence. I don't know how they avoid getting killed.

The emotions are so intense in the 'clasicos' (derbies) that it's nearly life or death for everyone involved. For example, during the superclasico de Avellaneda (Independiente and Racing), the player who scored for Independiente immediately burst into tears and collapsed onto the ground. Scoring in a big game like this is pretty much a player's biggest dream. We don't have rivalries like this in American sports. Sure, there's Yankees vs. Red Sox and Packers vs. Bears, and of course the college rivalries are a big deal too, but they're nothing like this.

As far as firms go, they aren't nearly as powerful as they were 20 years ago or so. Back then, around the world they ruled the streets and violence was much more common. The authorities have cracked down on this a lot in the past couple of decades, especially in England, but in many places violence is still prevalent. In Italy, for example, during the Roma Lazio derby the fans have to be completely separated, or else they'll start stabbing each other in the stands. Argentina is probably a lot crazier in this respect than Europe because every year people are killed by the barra brava (what they call the firms). In Eastern Europe these fan groups still run things, I think...I heard stories of them going into practice and breaking players' knee caps if results weren't going their way.

This kind of thing is nonsensical to Americans since we don't have an equivalent...none of our professional sports' fans care nearly enough to do anything like this. If I went into the opposite crowd of fans wearing a jersey of the opposing team, it would be no big deal at all. But in many countries you would get beat up for this (and in the UK, this happens in Scotland it seems). Our most passionate fans are college football and basketball fans, but even then, since the opposing teams are other colleges, there's not that kind of ill will. It's just a game that is part of the schools' activities, and if there ever was that kind of violence, I'm sure the NCAA sanctions would be swift and harsh.

But with the club teams, there are historic rivalries that mean a lot more than anything we have in the states. Often times there are political elements to these rivalries, too. In Argentina, traditionally Boca Juniors fans were poorer and River Plate fans were more middle class. In Spain, Barcelona's stadium was the only place the Catalans (the ethnic group from that part of Spain, they've always been very nationalist) could voice their opposition to General Franco (by singing songs, and he wouldn't dare shut down the football league). In Scotland, Celtic was founded by Irish Catholics so there's a whole religious divide between the Celtic fans, who are more Catholic, and Rangers fans, who are usually Protestant.

Well, keep on watching, and support our national team and our domestic league. The more people we can get supporting the MLS, the better it will get, which in turn will mean the better we'll get at soccer and the more people will follow it (which in turn will make us even better, of course). If you don't know already, be sure and check out rojadirecta.es. You can watch any soccer game around the world live, as well as watch highlights and download matches afterwards (no spoilers). There's also myp2p.eu, which only shows streams that use p2p software, and I would recommend downloading sopcast (a p2p program) and watching games that way. Great quality without lagging.

 

[flez85]

Thanks for the responses, that's all very interesting stuff!

Curtis290, you've opened my eyes a little to where some of the violence comes from, I hadn't thought of the games as having political meaning behind them. It's an interesting take that because fans are willing to break their own players' knee caps they "care" more. I think that since the rise of Humanistic Psychology, us Americans have become more optimistic and caring for the human side of anything- including sports. Not saying this is better, just different culturally, and something I adhere to.

I'll leave the determination of whether soccer fans are really 10x more into the game as Husker fans as inconclusive, as I've never been overseas, let alone a soccer match overseas (although this has become a top item on my bucket list). I can really only speak for myself, but I imagine that if you were to multiply my passion for Husker football by ten, you would explode from the pressure. All the same, it's like comparing apples to oranges. Husker football has been sold out for every home game since 1967 (which makes the 87,000 capacity Memorial stadium, with at least another 10,000 workers and media, the 3rd largest city in the state for home games, not to mention the 15,000+ fans in the vicinity of the stadium tailgating), but it's really hard to say what that would look like playing 40+ games a year rather than a measly 13. Not having a college team to follow, I would urge you to tune in to the next televised Husker game, as I would venture a guess that we're about as close as you can get to the support seen in soccer.

Those websites will probably come in handy, as the only means I have to watch soccer at the moment is Fox Soccer Channel, meaning I can only catch one game at a time and not always teams that I'm overly interested in. I hope that you've given me the means to watch the lower league teams in England I support, and am extremely appreciative of that.

Thanks again for the replies, you're helping to feed my hunger for knowledge of the "beautiful game".

 

[computerholic14]

There is a lot of passion for Football is still very high in England and singing and celebrating goals is still amazing and at times pritty mental. However there is a lot less fighting, but in some big derby games theres still a lot and even sadly a few deaths. For example, quite recently Millwall and West Ham (green street) were drawn in a reasonably unimportant cup game. The game turned out to be more of a fight for the fans than a game of football, sadly there were a few deaths as well.

So what i'm saying is, as the passion for the game is still high there is less fighting apart from in certain games.

 

[flez85]

That's great, I would hope that people could refrain from violence without lowering their level of passion for a sport/team. Although, there is something appealing of the "meet me out back" attitude, it's just a shame that it gets carried away from time to time and results in death.

 

[computerholic14]

yeah when i went to Qpr this season, there was quite a bit of fighting(probably due to us conceding a 88th minute winner and anger and passion coming through to much. However there was nothing, as far as i know of bad injuries or death.

 

[curtis290]

I'll leave the determination of whether soccer fans are really 10x more into the game as Husker fans as inconclusive, as I've never been overseas, let alone a soccer match overseas (although this has become a top item on my bucket list). I can really only speak for myself, but I imagine that if you were to multiply my passion for Husker football by ten, you would explode from the pressure. All the same, it's like comparing apples to oranges. Husker football has been sold out for every home game since 1967 (which makes the 87,000 capacity Memorial stadium, with at least another 10,000 workers and media, the 3rd largest city in the state for home games, not to mention the 15,000+ fans in the vicinity of the stadium tailgating), but it's really hard to say what that would look like playing 40+ games a year rather than a measly 13. Not having a college team to follow, I would urge you to tune in to the next televised Husker game, as I would venture a guess that we're about as close as you can get to the support seen in soccer.

That's great, I would hope that people could refrain from violence without lowering their level of passion for a sport/team. Although, there is something appealing of the "meet me out back" attitude, it's just a shame that it gets carried away from time to time and results in death.

Yeah, this is the problem with soccer fans in other countries...for my tastes, they are way too into it sometimes. I mean, it's not a matter of life and death, it's just a game. Oh well, having some people who are way too into it makes it better because it makes the stakes that much higher.

You are right that it is pretty difficult to measure the "passion" of the fans of a sport...and Cornhusker fans are definitely as passionate as they come in any American sport. In terms of attendance, college football trumps everything in the world; you have teams like Ohio State and Michigan who attract 100,000+ for their games. But keep in mind though that America is much, much bigger, and our universities are huge. I definitely like watching college football and the college sports are definitely where the most passion is in America, but having attended both D1 football games (I went to a bowl game as well) and soccer games overseas, I'll say that soccer fans are much more into it. For example, when Independiente won the Copa Sudamericana (sort of like South America's Europa League) in a penalty shootout, the fans, for the most part, immediately burst into tears. It was one of the most emotional celebrations I've seen in soccer, and much more emotional than anything I've ever seen in the states. Soccer fans, for the most part, are too into it for my taste, and much more into it than the American college fans, which has its positives and negatives. The negatives, are of course, that there is a lot of violence. But definitely go to a game if you have the chance, especially if it's at least semi-important. It's quite an experience.

I don't know if rojadirecta will have the games for your teams, since they are so low level (the games have to be on TV for people to stream them online). Out of curiosity how did you pick these teams? Have you thought about picking a top level team as well? Many English lower-league fans pick a top team as well that they like to follow. I would recommend a German or Spanish team...Spain has the most attractive football in Europe, IMO, and Germany has a great setup: it has the most parity in Europe, the highest attendances, and the highest scoring games. And in my opinion, the Argentine and Brazilian leagues have the most attractive soccer (Latin American soccer in general is great), although there's no Champions League, which sucks. Anyway, I think it's very cool that you picked lower league teams instead of being the typical American ManU fan. Well, happy trails, and I hope you continue to enjoy the beautiful game and maybe convert some fellow Nebraskans along the way!

 

[MisterStubbs]

there is a difference between passion for the game and brainless thugs who go to football matches for the sole reason to get in to a scrap with opposition fans.

 

[computerholic14]

there is a difference between passion for the game and brainless thugs who go to football matches for the sole reason to get in to a scrap with opposition fans.

couldn't agree more.

 

[Joel`]

Welcome to the site! It seems it must be a habit for American's to write unbelievably long posts. XD

 

[sidgurung97]

Welcome to the site! It seems it must be a habit for American's to write unbelievably long posts. XD

This.
Anyhow welcome to the site, do you play Football Manager? Managed a team yet?
I got into football when I was about six. All we did was mix in with sixteen year olds and just try and skill everyone up. It was great fun, but now I play normal football with matches and everything. I support Chelsea BTW. Just to let you know. It's in London. And I HAVEN'T MET THE QUEEN. My dad has though :O

 

[Ben]

Welcome to the site! It seems it must be a habit for American's to write unbelievably long posts. XD

Also a habit for the English to refrain from reading it. Or is it just me? :$

 

[flez85]

Welcome to the site! It seems it must be a habit for American's to write unbelievably long posts. XD

It's our over-inflated egos, thinking that everybody actually cares about what we have to say! On that note, the rest of the post :

Out of curiosity how did you pick these teams? Have you thought about picking a top level team as well? Many English lower-league fans pick a top team as well that they like to follow.

Kind of funny actually, for Chesterfield, I picked up FIFA 10 and was looking for a lower league team to bring up to the top (I'm a big fan of underdogs in just about any sport), and liked their colors plus my nickname was Chester (from Dude, Where's My Car?), so thought it was a nice fit. As for AFC Wimbledon, when I picked up FM11, it was quite the same story, except what kind of sports fan couldn't feel inspired by their story? I knew immediately they were the team I would manage. After watching Terry Brown's interviews, and a couple of short documentaries, this confirmed that they were a good fit for my taste.

As far as picking an upper-tier team, I've got a few that I keep an eye on and root for, but haven't listed them because I don't know squat about their players/coaches or if some that I follow are actually bitter rivals. I like watching Arsenal play, they have excellent passing ability from what I can tell. I've also enjoyed watching Tottenham and Chelsea in the CL. Also like Liverpool (for their American ownership) and West Ham (Yes, because of Green Street, also to root for them to avoid relegation this year).

Any German teams that you would recommend? I'm of German/Irish/English descent, so would like to become familiar with teams there.

Anyhow welcome to the site, do you play Football Manager? Managed a team yet?

I've managed AFC Wimbledon, got them up to League 1 in 3 years, now the save game won't load after the new patch, so I'm very disappointed. I'm a bit OCD when it comes to this game and have started about 5 different saves as Wimbledon, the latest also corrupted just today. Don't think I can endure another save with them, so looking for somebody else to manage atm.

 

[sidgurung97]

I've managed AFC Wimbledon, got them up to League 1 in 3 years, now the save game won't load after the new patch, so I'm very disappointed. I'm a bit OCD when it comes to this game and have started about 5 different saves as Wimbledon, the latest also corrupted just today. Don't think I can endure another save with them, so looking for somebody else to manage atm.

LOL unlucky mate, I never really had the patience for a long-term save, that's why the current story I'm doing is only a short-term (half a season!) one. Most I've done is one season with HSV! XD
Anyway, I live quite near Wimbledon. Only about 20-30 mins away so they are a bit local.