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In bygone days when I stood in the crowd and in those days there were not many seats and the grounds were so packed it was difficult to get the loo at half time. One often queued for six or seven minutes to get to the the urinal.
The aroma of hot boveril( Bovril is the trademarked name of a thick, salty meat extract, developed in the 1870s by John Lawson Johnston. It is sold in a distinctive, bulbous jar. Bovril is made in Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire; owned and distributed by Unilever UK.) and rolled up cigarettes, the swearing and chanting crowds, the noisy loudspeakers and the half time marching band all had a sort of charm and unique flavor.
At certain matches engendered a special rivalry and sometimes very violent. Of late there have been killings by stabbing or gang threats with kicking to death and pushing in the crowd until one is trampled under foot or pushed and crushed by the bars that are supposed to separate people.
With the event of more seats in the stadium it has alleviated it a bit, however it has carried on outside, sometimes to the railway station where the away fans are returning home.
At European and World cups this gets horrific. Cafe's, restaurants, shops and car windows are smashed and fires.
This fanatical behavior probably stems from identification, the color flags, the emblemed shirts, the songs and chants all form a sort of religion, a political statement. I belong, I am not alone, I will defend my country, my family, my herd, my clan, MY TEAM.
I was often teased and bullied by the home fans not physically so much just a shove or sneer, after all I was a home fan, sort of.
They could not understand I supported good football skill and could applaud a good set of moves and a goal if the other team did so. They thought it lucky or the referee was biased.
What was fascinating was the physical postures and snarling faces, growling, clenched fists it was real primal behavior as if the 'old reptilian brain' was somehow switched on, the latest findings in neuro science could answer this. The primitive behavior displayed by terrorists and the barbaric beheading and torture is only but a step out of reach for uncontrolled football fans rioting. Other sports do not seem to attract so much violence-----perhaps the money and glamor, the celebrity wealth and most of all the anger venting saying 'kick the hell out of ---? Go kick ass' Give em a good kicking' and there is something about using the feet and chasing a ball.
This is not a football trend only; countries, religions and politics, yea even businesses have their emblems, flags and uniforms. To appreciate another team or whatever and yet favor one's own without the paraphernalia of chants and mad hysteria shows one's identity is not hinged or is attached or has one's life dominated by the success or failure of one's team, country or religion----there is something greater than this in Life.
I have a neighbor that is so obsessed with his team that he names a well known player as equivalent to Jesus, the manager as God and the team as glorious. When his team loses he sulks and gets drunk, blames the referee, the pitch the weather, or cheating and host of other excuses, when they win a major trophy he marches with others through the streets singing and swearing and rubbishing things, then returning home repeats a solo performance in the garden.
He tells people he lives and dies for his team, it is his life and he lives for the next match -------he is not alone.
SHACK
daily mail
Its strange how innocent people walking by the mob and after the match they will often just glare at bye standers and say 'what the fuck are you staring at' almost if they are ashamed of themselves or that others are superior and judging them. They may feel isolated and alone if not with the 'boys', some men will go to pub many nights leaving the their wife and family or Mum or Dad to get high with the boys a sort of male comradery.. This is often to shore up lack of identity in themselves as an individual or lack of confidence and low self esteem.(Shack)
