Wanting to hurt supporters of the other team
 

A question mostly for Europeans, i think. (or maybe hooliganism is getting a foot in the US?)

Did you ever feel like molesting a supporter of an opposing sportsteam? And did you actually kick/beat/threaten him?

Please tell me why. Or why not.

I never felt the urge to physically hurt another sportsfan. But it seems normal, especially to some Football (soccer..) fans. In my city, they need shitloads of vans filled with riotpolicemen to hold the hooligans down. Pretty normal people -not the brightest maybe, but pretty normal-, who turn into mindless fighting machines as soon they see an opposing team's colors..

I just don't get the idea behind all the animosity. I like watching a good game and supporting my club. But i just don't feel like kicking the other supporters in the face.

Please share your thoughts about this one..

Well the thing is that the Hooligans (Mainly the english) are NOT football fans. They are more like an organized brawling club using football as an excuse.

They are idiots, plain and simple and I hope if the bastards start something in Portugal their team will be kicked out of the Euro 2004.

--jaded

If they're really not interested in the club/nation team.. what's the point of removing the team from a tournament and/or competition? They're not really their fans, anyway..!

I am a diehard Yankees fan, and every year, I'll make the trip north to Fenway to watch the Yankees play The Red Socks. There is absolutely no love lost between the fans of both teams. Dare to wear a Yankees hat and jersey in Red Socks country and well, the natives get just a tad hostile.

I think it's funny, it's only a game, people.

Last year, I was sitting with two friends, and the Red Socks were losing badly, and we were cheering the Yankees rather loudly. Some drunken dumbass blowhard from South Boston (I love Southies really, went to college with a bunch of 'em, they're good people, but a drunk Southie is just bad news) gets up, yells at my friend (who's a 6'4" former Army Ranger) to Shut Up Yankee and proceeds to try to deck my friend. My friend just grabbed the guys hand mid-punch and said very quiety, oh you don't want to do that, son. From behind him, someone else decided to hit my friend.

Fans, especially drunken ones, are going to act like idiots no matter what the sport.

Then they can't use it as an excuse and they wouldn't bother being there.

--jaded

I've heard many stories about Yankee fans being the exact same way, so don't get TOO high on your horse there ;)

Fortunately, I have yet to be in a situation where I actually want to attack someone for rooting for my team's rival. Considering the amount of Yankee and Steeler fans around, I think that's quite an accomplishment :D

Try South Carolina and Clemson. Everyone in South Carolina is a fan of one or the other. We don't have pro sports, so our 2 major colleges is all we have. It is nasty 365 a year.

I love to hate Clemson BTW.

Nope. Around here people are friendly. Well, in Green Bay anyway. You can wear an opponent's jacket and walk around the tailgaters, as long as you're not an asshole you're guarenteed at least half a dozen brats and beers.

In Madison however...Well, they're not so friendly (example: the chant "EAT SHIT FUCK YOU")

Well...

Last year me my friend and some of his friends were at the NPC (the national rugby competetion of New Zealand) grand Final. It was my boys Wellington (gutted by injuries, and several players playing for the All Blacks at the Rugby World cup) the heavy underdogs against Auckland (who also were lacking All Blacks, but several players were ex-all blacks/awaiting callups eg Xavier Rush, Ben Atiga, Orene Ai'i) the heavy favourites. Wellington came out of nowhere to get to the top 4 and then win an away playoff match against #1 seed Waikato to have a home final against Auckland. The first half our boy Christian Cullen who was playing his last game in NZ, scored a couple of tries in the corner of the stadium where we were sitting, and Wellington had a slender lead going into the 2nd half. In the 2nd half however they let in several tries (notably two to Ben Atinga who was called up to the All Black squad for the World Cup within a couple of days). To lose about 34-24.

Now, one of my mate's friends lived in Wellington his whole life yet (for reasons unknown) was an Auckland supporter. He was spouting off so much shit about how much Wellinton sucked, and about how shit Cullen's career was (infact he booed him, when the entire stadium gave Cullen a 5 minute standing ovation). When Wellington got their runner's up awards he booed them too and kept on calling them "the first loser". I just kept telling him to shut the fuck up and that was it.

But I did have the urge to slug him, not because I was bitter that Wellington had lost, just the fact that the guy was being a total jackass about it, and constantly rubbishing a team that gave 110% and completely disrespecting one of the greatest players to put on the Wellington and All Blacks jerseys.

I have the urges... but would I do it? no

I don't understand the urge to hurt people who don't think the same, but I was pretty annoyed when a kid (encouraged by his father) started dropping ice down my back at a hockey game when I was cheering for the away team.