Hooligan Post - BP

What makes soccer so exciting among European's is that is their main sport. Unlike in America, where our fanatics are often divided among football (US), basketball, baseball, hockey, nascar, and college sports. Therefore, European fans are more concentrated in their passion for soccer. Another reason why Europe is so much crazier in terms of these Hooligans, is that the continent itself is so concentrated. In the BPL alone, you have over 60 teams competing in a country smaller than Oregon (with 58 million more people). What makes US rivalries so great is that the teams are often so close in proximity, whether it be Yankees/Red Sox, Ohio St./Michigan, or Packers/Vikings. These rivalries are more similar to those of England because of the close distance between the franchises. When these exist you often find Buckeye fans in Ann Arbor and Wolverine fans in Columbus because is a lot of overlap, and that is where the craziness stems from. However, the other aspect of US rivalries that makes it so interesting is that you have Lakers/Celtics, Canadiens/Bruins, or 49ers/Bills (lil throwback) in which the teams are eons away from one another. This is the main reason why US sports does not house the 'hooligans' as does England. Between the immense travel and distant teams, it's not like you are finding many Seahawk fans in Miami, or Met fans in Arizona. There is additional overlap, just without the severe violence and less of the family/brother's mindset. While on Twitter following the Cavs series (and updating Settos' followers) I remembered about the Toronto Raptor's fan base called 'Jurassic Park.' Occasionally throughout the season and definitely in the playoffs, Maple Leaf Square in Toronto transforms into a hub for either the Raptors or the Maple Leafs (whoever is playing). TNT will always show the thousands of fans outside the stadium cheering with posters and jerseys as they watch their team on TV screens. Another thing that pops to mind is the '12th Man' in Seattle. The Seahawks are notorious for their extremely loud home games and their fans take home field advantage to a whole new level. However, in both of these examples, violence is not apparent. In fact, it seems that it is only every year or so when you here about a groups of fans fighting or getting each other seriously injured. While it seems as though alcohol is the main catalyst to the Hooligans drama, at the end of the day they are just trying to show their true colors.