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This article may seem a little out of character for those who have read my columns before. If I offend anyone with my words here, all I can say is: Allow me to introduce you to the First Amendment of the US Constitution...

The One-Word Reason That Keeps Soccer on the Fringe

by Bryan Hollister (Analyst)

14

87 reads

Opinion

January 02, 2009


This article may seem a little out of character for those who have read my columns before. If I offend anyone with my words here, all I can say is: Allow me to introduce you to the First Amendment of the US Constitution.

Onward we go...

I played soccer in elementary school.

I was good at it, too—led the team in shots on goal as a winger, and made the All-Star team in the eighth grade. My team won, 3-2. I scored one goal in that game.

My kids played soccer as young children. I even coached a year for my oldest son. He was long-legged and deceptively quick, and was on the path to becoming one of the best sweepers in the league.

Until, that is, he had a head-on collision with a charging center on a breakaway and sustained a broken collarbone.

He lost his taste for the game after that.

I know what the MLS and EPL are. I know who David Beckham is. I've heard of the World Cup.

I was on shore leave in Torremolinos, Spain during the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona. Wall-to-wall soccer fans, some of them half naked, all of them drunk, and all raucously rooting for and ferociously defending their team.

Which brings me to my point.

I really could care less for any of it.

Oh, I've tried. I cheered for the US women when they won the Gold in the Olympics in Greece. I paid mild attention as the US men's team tried to qualify for the World Cup.

But my heart truly wasn't in it. And it all boils down to one word, one aspect of the game that I truly cannot stand. No matter how hard I try, I cannot overlook it. It spoils the game for me.

The word?

Hooliganism.

Organized groups, or clubs, of soccer fans whose sole reason for existence is to vandalize, intimidate, and utterly destroy anything and everything that stands against their chosen team.

Including, in some cases opposing fans, whether they are recognized hooligans or not.

Win or lose, they fight for their team.

This is not a racial problem; while some groups are associated with or promote racist, anti-liberal, ultra-liberal, or anti-racist agendas and organizations, this transcends any cultural lines. Hooligan "associations" can be found in all corners of the globe, and they are all equally as violent, equally as lawless, and equally as dangerous.

And they all share equal responsibility for soccer's continued bad reputation.

Occasionally the clubs will organize brawls well away from the stadium at a pre-arranged place and time so that they can carry on without too much fear of police intervention.

Can anyone say gang fight?

Just as often, though, brawls will break out spontaneously in the stadium, in some cases killing not only members of the "fight clubs," but innocent bystanders and police as well. Occasionally players lives are endangered as the violence escalates and spirals out of control, or they are specifically targeted by the opposing fans.

Can anyone say reckless endangerment?

Come on, admit it. You've seen the videos. Fans pressed up against fences, trying desperately to escape the chaos, projectiles flying willy-nilly through the stands, soccer players running for cover as "roughs" pelt them with anything they can get their hands on. I would dare say at least one person reading this has seen it in person, maybe even participated.

Author Poll

Can Hooliganism be stopped? If so, how?

  • Yes; tighter security at gates
  • Yes; stricter enforcement of laws will do it
  • Yes; open gates earlier and search fans
  • No; mob mentality impossible to counter
  • No; too organized and numerous
  • No; it's not that big a deal
  • Manchester United Rules!
vote to see results
Author Poll Results

Can Hooliganism be stopped? If so, how?

  • Yes; tighter security at gates

    0.0%

  • Yes; stricter enforcement of laws will do it

    0.0%

  • Yes; open gates earlier and search fans

    0.0%

  • No; mob mentality impossible to counter

    20.0%

  • No; too organized and numerous

    20.0%

  • No; it's not that big a deal

    40.0%

  • Manchester United Rules!

    20.0%
  • Total votes: 5
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14 comments Last one added 6 months ago — Leave a Comment

  1. Sean Crowe 6 months ago

    I agree. Soccer fans are crazy. I'm not sure that's what ruins the game for me (it's incredibly boring to me...I understand that some people like it and all the power to them...but seriously, it's watching paint dry).

    I'm also unwilling to make a serious effort any more because of the amount of times I've been told that I can't appreciate the game because I'm an uneducated American.

    But that's just me...

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    • Bryan Hollister 6 months ago

      I understand it well enough; I played and coached it. It's like hockey on grass with whinier, whimpier players and less equipment.

      The ignorance of the fan support just kills it for me.

      Thanks for reading!

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  2. Guido 6 months ago

    You missed the Croatian football-war mate... ;-)

    Oh and to sort things out historically, the soccer you were referring to in the 1300's was nothing like the modern day sport.

    It was "mob football", which would be played between neighbouring towns and villages, involving an unlimited number of players on opposing teams, who would clash in a heaving mass of people, struggling to move an item such as an inflated pig's bladder, to particular geographical points, such as their opponents' church.

    It's a bit harsh to compare today's games and fans to medieval times. Different time-frame and circumstances and all that.

    I also disagree with calling hooligans "fans" or "supporters". They're generally just thugs who have no real affiliation with the team but just use the matches as an excuse to go out and create havoc. Since football is the most popular sport in Europe, it provides an easy excuse.

    I'm not trying to defend hooliganism by the way, I do agree it should be removed from the game. I do feel some of your words are too harsh on the regular fans (like myself) who just go to the stadium to enjoy a match, do a bit of chanting and have a few pints afterwards in an atmosphere of camaraderie.

    Apart from that bit, well written and a 4* rating from me.

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    • Bryan Hollister 6 months ago

      Guido:

      I disagree with calling them "fans" as well. I tried to italicize or " " them whenever I did that. They are a danger to law-abiding fans who go to the pitch to watch a good match. Going to the game, doing some chants, meeting up at the pub later on for a few pints and a game of cricket, that's what it SHOULD be about. But the "associations" have gone beyond the pale when it comes to "team support".

      And they are just too prevalent in the game for me to turn my attention to it.

      I didn't see the Croatian football war in my research. What was that one about?

      And thanks for the stars!!

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    • Guido 6 months ago

      http://bleacherreport.com/articles/76141-a-real-football-war-the-croatian-patriotic-war

      A football match was the start for the civil war in former Yugoslavia. It's not that the match prompted a war, but nationalist feelings are always strong during football matches and the match just sparked off a war that was sort of overdue.

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  3. Anthony Sanchez 6 months ago

    I didn't realise it was on the fringe. I always thought it was the most popular sport in the world.

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    • Bryan Hollister 6 months ago

      Most played, maybe, POSSIBLY.

      Most popular?

      Define popular. At the Olympics in Beijing, how many soccer players were being followed by people wearing jerseys who were truly fans? How many people in that country of billions were wearing NBA jerseys? Would you say Soccer is more popular in Japan or Cuba than Baseball? More popular in Canada than hockey? Bigger in America than Football?

      I would argue no, it is not. It may draw fans and players at the amateur level, but when it comes to professional soccer, it falls short in my eyes. Not because of the sport, but because of the "people" who follow it. And I'm not talking about the ordinary fans who watch for the enjoyment of the game. I'm talking about the dolts who use it as an excuse to act like cavemen.

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    • Anthony Sanchez 6 months ago

      I was actually being being sarcastic Bryan. Football is far from fringe. I appreciate what your saying about hooliganism but in England at least its pretty much a thing of the past. The remaining people who engage in it do so away from the stadium and only with each other and so what they do now is of little interest to anyone but themselves. Can't speak for other countries though.

      1) Football. 3.3-3.5 Billion Fans. (Europe, Africa, Asia, Americas,etc)
      2) Cricket 2-3. Billion Fans. (India,U.K,Pakistan,Asia,Australia,etc)
      3) Field Hockey. 2-2.2 Bilion Fans. (Asia, Europe, Africa, Australia)
      4) Tennis. Around 1 Billion Fans. (Europe, Americas, Asia)
      5) Volleyball Around 900 Million Fans. (Asia, Erope, Americas, Australia)
      6) Table Tennis Around 900 Million Fans. (Asia, Europe, Africa, Americas)
      7) Baseball Around 500 Million Fans. (U.S, Japan, Cuba, Dom rep)
      8) Golf Around 400 Million Fans. (U.S, Canada, Europe)
      9) Gridiron (american football) 390-410 Million Fans. (U.S mainly)
      10) Basketball Not more than 400M Fans. (U.S, Canada mainly)

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    • Bryan Hollister 6 months ago

      LOL...touche, Anthony. I like it; someone who can give me numbers!

      I think you are off on Basketball, though; you left out China. Yao Ming is a superstar there, and the American players were utterly dumbfounded when they realized that the Chinese kids were following the game and could quote them their stats.

      And I have to consider your Football (soccer) numbers a bit suspect unless we can identify for certain tht the hooligans aren't being considered in the numbers.

      Also, there aren't 410 million people IN the us (last major census count just put us over 200 million; we're growing but not quite THAT fast), Canada and Europe both have Gridiron leagues (the CFL and the WLAF respectively) that, while not at the level seen in America, still draw fans.

      I'd love to know where you got those numbers. Would you consider revealing your source?

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    • Anthony Sanchez 6 months ago

      Wikepedia. So not very reliable I know. But even with an error margin of millions I don't think they can be too far from the truth!

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  4. Nathan Lowe 6 months ago

    Is your point that soccer fans should wear pads?

    I know many, many dolts who use American football as an excuse to act like cavemen. In fact, soccer, to me, is very much an intellectual man's game, being more intuitive, far less officious, and much more subjective, while the American football fan is often consumed with statistics, tailgating, and beer drinking. Very well written article.

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    • Bryan Hollister 6 months ago

      I'm not sure if I should thank you or argue with you, Nathan...

      No, soccer fans should not be required to wear pads, but in light of things, every little bit helps...

      And that's another problem I have with Soccer...no tailgate parties...

      Maybe we could suggest that as a means to quell the violence; instead of beating each other and anyone who gets in the way senseless, why not get together before the match and have a bar-b-que cook-off?? Everyone wins because they all get to eat, drink, and be marry!!

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    • Guido 6 months ago

      There is such a thing as a supporter's pub... No fighting, but drinking and banter amongst fans.

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  5. Bryan Hollister 6 months ago

    Guido, that's exactly what Soccer needs more of. Organized, controlled, and most of all, SAFE!!

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