Football fans [i.e. "soccer"]

chungy said:

America gets pretty crazy with our own version of football, more than any other sport in the country.

That's pretty tame honestly. However despite the video trying to downplay the match as nothing much, Auburn v Alabama is a really, really fucking big ncaa game in any regard. Both schools are arguably 2 of the largest and best div-I football schools in the nation, not to mention being state rivals.

Also the video showed basically nothing but cheerleaders and marching bands, wtf?

The best one-word description I ever read of the "world of football" is: "autistic".

That's the actual impression one gets from reading any "sports newspapers": they are from start to end a continuous dick stroking and back patting aimed so precisely at their target demographic (working class yobs and hoooligans). Everything, from the article titles, the writing style, the crude sexual jokes, to the premium erotic phone services and classifieds for whorehouses at the back pages, is perfectly centered aroung the "football fan" and his "special needs".

More than autistic, I'd say it's almost esoteric or just one huge inside joke.

Football has long been tied to the modern Nation State, and really needs public policy to regulate it, so it can avoid breeding tribal hate and fascism.

Maes said:
Now, why football and not, say, tennis or croquet? Unlike those other sports, football is a sport for the masses and the poor: even in the poorest 3rd world countries, you'll see children playing football with anything they can find, be it two stones as goalposts and a cabbage or rag ball as, well, a ball. So it's something readily identified, easily accessible, popular and easy to improvise. Something everybody can relate to.

Many other sports require equipment that may be expensive or some have more complex rules or require more elaborate team strategies. It's like the DOOM of field sports but never gets old :p

Ralphis said:
Came into this thread expecting NFL stuff, saw a bunch of soccer things. Very sad that my NFL threads never got any posts :(

So much of it is bashing that you might as well be glad :)

myk said:

Football has long been tied to the modern Nation State, and really needs public policy to regulate it, so it can avoid breeding tribal hate and fascism.

I really, really don't get this. Of course Auburn and Alabama are huge rivalries but the only thing I can think of that was close to criminal activity was poisoning famous trees. Then I see Soccer riots and a bunch of all white/all spaniard/all slav/all whatever just go absolutely ape-shit over kicking a ball around to the point of punching each other in the face.

If the Chemtrail conspiracy theory is real, they should be spraying valium in europe instead.

contrast this to american associate football and I have yet to see an all out brawl that took several city blocks.


Unless it's baseball. And I don't even know why anyone would burn a car over a roided-up guy hitting a ball really hard.

Quast said:

That's pretty tame honestly. However despite the video trying to downplay the match as nothing much, Auburn v Alabama is a really, really fucking big ncaa game in any regard. Both schools are arguably 2 of the largest and best div-I football schools in the nation, not to mention being state rivals.

Also the video showed basically nothing but cheerleaders and marching bands, wtf?

To be fair, the OP's video only showcased exuberance and not violent outbursts. It's an overwhelming atmosphere to be in, but not an intimidating one.

At some point the thread turned from the subject of (civilised) mass enthusiasm over a sport to violent minorities which may or may not having anything to do with the game.

Csonicgo said:

contrast this to american associate football and I have yet to see an all out brawl that took several city blocks.

Blame the Italians. They only came down from the trees last week.

Csonicgo said:
I really, really don't get this. Of course Auburn and Alabama are huge rivalries but the only thing I can think of that was close to criminal activity was poisoning famous trees. Then I see Soccer riots and a bunch of all white/all spaniard/all slav/all whatever just go absolutely ape-shit over kicking a ball around to the point of punching each other in the face.

US Football is something between US states only, all under the same nation. Clubs aren't "practicing" national rivalries. In addition, US culture gives less room to worker union politics than most European and Latin American nations.