Well, the first reason is that I really don’t care that much. If you want to talk about futbol, the only type I know anything about is futbol Americano. Even then, only at the university level. And I have to admit that since I left the US, my desire to follow sports teams back home has been non-existent, even my beloved OSU Buckeyes.
The question I often get …
But you are in Argentina. How can you NOT get into soccer?
It is actually pretty simple. I did not watch television back in the US. I do not watch it now in Argentina. (The exception is subtitled re-runs of Friends or Law & Order which I justify for practicing my Spanish).
When I found it costs US$100 for a ticket to go to a Boca Juniors game, it was an easy decision to not go. Then I read Ayngelina’s post about her experience at the Boca stadium, and let’s just say I don’t like to have urine thrown on me.
The second reason is…
Soccer fans are crazy.
Yes, I am generalizing based on stereotypes. However, my suspicions were confirmed when I watched the insanity and destruction in Buenos Aires unfold on television and read about the aftermath in news articles.
River Plate lost to Belgrano de Cordoba.
I will not try to pretend I have any clue how soccer leagues work in Argentina. So this will be in pretty simple terms, and I may have some of the details wrong. I went to a bar to watch the game with Chance. He explained to me the importance of the game and what would most likely happen. This is what I learned:
- If River Plate did not win this game by 2 goals, then they would be relegated to the “B League.” This is because of their crappy performance in previous games.
- Moving to the lower league is a huge loss of money.
- River Plate has never been in the lower league in their 110-year existence.
- If River Plate does not win by 2, the fans will tear apart the stadium.
- If River Plate does not win by 2, the fans will attack their own players.
- River Plate fans will be forced to leave the stadium first. This is to protect the fans of the opposing team. They cannot be let out at the same time.
Okay, I get it. Money at stake. Pride at stake.
What I did not understand is the destruction and violence. Chance was predicting if they did not win the game by 2 goals. But sure enough, everything Chance predicted unfolded on the screen.
The destruction.
There was still a little bit of time on the clock, but the players stopped playing. I do not think I’ve ever seen a professional sports team actually just give up. These tough soccer players were not just crying, they were sobbing.
They were not just upset; they looked scared and worried.
Why aren’t they playing?
Because there is no way they can score 2 more goals at the very end.
And because the fans have already started the destruction.
Are those high-pressure water hoses?
The police on the field were spraying down the River Plate fans with high-pressure hoses to force them to exit the stadium. And it was really cold outside, so I would have expected this tactic to be successful.
But the River Plate fans were not leaving.
They were still trying to get on the field. They were ripping up seats. They were trying to tear down the fences. As the camera panned the crowd, you could see grown men sobbing. I mean really sobbing. You would think they just witnessed their family members dying in a horrible car accident.
Why do the players look scared and worried?
Apparently, this humiliation puts them and their families at risk. This is not one night of a few fanatics losing their minds. This is personal. I later heard that many of the players hire private security.
A sea of policeman surrounded the players and tried to get them off the field as angry fans hurled objects at them.
The aftermath.
Of course there was more violence and destruction in the streets afterwards.
Here are links to some of the articles I read after the game.
The politics.
I had heard before arriving in Argentina that soccer is a political tool used by the government to control and placate the poorer population and to distract people from the real problems within the country. Yes, this is a loaded statement, and I have only been here for 3 months. But I can believe it.
I will not get into the details here, but I learned a little more history of what the current government has done to “bring soccer to the people.”
Why did this seem different?
I went to The Ohio State University, and we are pretty crazy when it comes to our college football team. When I was a student, there were riots and a good bit of destruction. But they were mainly alcohol-fueled. Nobody was crying. People were drunk and pissed off because of how the cops were treating them. The riots were not justified. They were stupid and embarrassing.
In Buenos Aires, everyone knew there would be riots. Nobody was surprised. Everyone knew the fans would destroy the stadium. Everyone knew there would be injuries. People were worried about the welfare of the players.
I am not saying that Argentina is the worst when it comes to sports fanaticism. I am not saying that all Argentine soccer fans are violent, destructive, and obsessed.
I heard about that one! Ok, so my boss (argentinian) is a River Plate fan and… I was shocked to see how a match (and ok, the consequences – River Plate being relegated to B League) could bring up such a heated discussion with another work colleague… but what can we expect, Argentina and Brazil are THE football countries in Latin-America. They had to earn it somehow!
I can certainly understand heated discussion over sports. Breaking things and hurting people… a little bit over the top.
Money, politics and futbol is a lethal mix. “soccer is a political tool used by the government to control and placate the poorer population and to distract people from the real problems within the country” is absolutely true. It reminds me of the Roman emperors who distracted the populace with games at the Colosseum. Bread and circuses.
I was wondering what type of backlash my loaded statement might have. Glad at least someone agrees with me
This Buckeye season will be a good one to miss.
I honestly don’t think I could have handled the constant talk/ lamenting over the past few months about the fall of the Tressel and The Buckeyes. So sad.
I think that you have this with a lot of sports. Just look what happened in Vancouver after the Stanley Cup… Sport fans are crazy. Not all but most of them!!!!
I was surprised by Vancouver too, but I imagine that was very much fueled by alcohol. Here they don’t sell alcohol in the stadium, and I know that at Boca games, they don’t even sell alcohol within the vicinity of the stadium before games. (Not that alcohol-induced riots are any more justified.)
> I had heard before arriving in Argentina that soccer is a political tool used by the government to control and placate the poorer population and to distract people from the real problems within the country.
I think this is largely the role of sports all over the world. I am not saying sports are bad – we are huge soccer fans and always look forward to football season – but they have an enormous shadow side that very few people seem willing to examine.
I think this is a really powerful post!
Good point. I am often surprised by how much people’s lives in the US revolve around sports. It is one thing to really enjoy something but to let it dictate your entire life is a little much. If they were actually “playing” the sport, I would understand a little more.
From what I understand about Football in Argentina, I wouldn’t be going either! The violence is shocking! Stay safe
Futbol is a HUGE deal in Argentina!
I remember being a kid in elementary school and my first day there one of my classmates asked me “Do you cheer for River or Boca?” Wha? I had never watched a football game in my life! But even at such a young age the students were already divided over those 2 teams (the best in the country, one might argue!)
Though I never picked a team, I secretly like Boca’s gold and blue
Now I would jump at the chance to see them play. The energy in La Bombonera must be incredible!!!!
I have heard it is pretty amazing. If I actually cared about soccer, I would only go on one of the package tours like Ayngelina did to make sure the ticket was real and that you sat in a section safe from flying urine :-
Quote ” Well, the first reason is that I really don’t care that much. If you want to talk about futbol, the only type I know anything about is futbol Americano. Even then, only at the university level. ” quote
Yes please call the sport Football, There are only 4 countries in the world calling it soccer. USA, Canada, Oz and NZ say soccer, the other 192 countries including the English inventors say Football.
Quote “Why aren’t they playing?
Because there is no way they can score 2 more goals at the very end. ” quote.
Eh, my team once turned a 2-4 into a 5-4 in just the last 8 minutes.
Sorry, feeling a bit rebellious today.
Kisses Neil
Since the majority of my readers are in one of the 4 countries that call it soccer, I don’t want to cause confusion
And that is a damn impressive comeback. If only the Argentine players had as much heart as you
I understand, and I had a very different experience. Very quiet for us. You can check it out here (in Spanish) -> http://ow.ly/5wuZL In those circumstances maybe you could give it a try.
Thanks for the link. I got my Spanish practice AND learned a new perspective. I have heard that Argentines are not as crazy when it comes to the Copa America as they are about their own league. So far my experience watching Copa America with Argentines as been good. Although we’ll see what happens if they lose
Oh yes, you’re right. Maybe they will lose on the next match, with Colombia 😛 Nice blog, by he way.
I like Ana’s point above. And it’s OK for you not to go to a soccer game. As travelers, we don’t have to participate in every aspect of a culture to learn about it. When I lived in the Czech Republic, I didn’t go to the pig killings because I didn’t want to. And there were plenty of Czechs who agreed with me, just as I’m sure there are plenty of Argentinians who would rather pass on being at the stadium.
Very true. I am all for trying new things, but if I really do know I’m not going to enjoy something, I don’t feel pressure to do it.
And yeah, I think I’d skip the pig killings too.
I agree. It’s important to stay true to ourselves. I really tried to like Brazilian soccer but after a while just realized that it is not for me. And I moved on.
I heard about the riots on the news here, but this was a really interesting perspective. The soccer fans are crazy here in Chile, too (I got assaulted by a group of them once) but the players are never in danger of their lives (that I know of!). I also can’t understand the violence and destruction, and I think that’s really interesting about the government controlling the poor populations with soccer. Chile’s president just unveiled a plan to open new stadiums in the provincia…and he is NOT very popular right now and there are a ton of problems in the country right now.
Interesting about the Chilean president’s plan. Maybe me little narrow-minded theory is true
I heard later that the River players met with Cristina Kirchner (President), so it was probably to ask for money or something like that. So strange… and corrupt. But then again it seems that all governments and professional sports programs are corrupt.
Men can be such morons! Truly, it is just a game. Why do they have to be so caveman about it? if only they put that energy into something positive. I will never understand having that much passion for a game, or anything, that it leads you to deliver such destruction. Time for a new hobby. I wouldn’t go either. It does not sound like fun to me
I wasn’t going to call out men specifically, but I’m glad you did
Not that it doesn’t happen, but I sure didn’t see any women sobbing in the stands after the River Plate loss.
Well written article Stephanie – I enjoyed reading your thoughts. As a pretty avid football (soccer) fan myself, it’s really sad when things get out of control and the point of the match turns to something other than sportsmanship and entertainment. A loss is sad indeed, but that’s what happens when you play a game.
If only professional sports were truly about the sport itself…not about money.
So true. I don’t watch any professional sports anymore. College basketball and college football for me… and even then, money is still involved and causes problems – hence the downfall of my Buckeyes
I had no idea that things turned so violent and that the player’s safety was in jeopardy, that’s really scary. I would stick with the wine as well.
I haven’t actually verified this, but an Argentine told me that the players had actually been playing for months without getting paid because the club was broke due to corruption, mismanagement, etc. If this is true, I cannot imagine treating the players like that after a loss when they were already sacrificing more than necessary for the team.
“Soccer is a political tool used by the government to control and placate the poorer population.”
Throughout history one can replace the word ‘soccer’ with any number of things and still make this sentence true. We did not attend a soccer game in Buenos Aires because of other commitments, and I’m sure they don’t all end in riots, but from reading this I’m kind of glad. It reminds me of other stories of people being killed after not performing well in sporting matches.
I’m sure you know that the Romans invented the gladiator fights to distract the poor population from the political problems. So, there is nothing new about that aspect of soccer in Argentina. I’m totally desinterested in the game and any variation thereof and I find the ensuing violence very disturbing. I wouldn’t go to a soccer or footbal game anywhere in the world so I fully understand your decision.
Good point. It just surprises me that this tactic still works. Although I know it’s not the case for all fans, I think it is the case for many of them.
I know many people that are very passionate about sports, and it means so much to them to travel and see big games in other countries. It is a shame when problems like this make people feel it is not safe to do that or feel embarrassed by the ignorant behavior of other fans.
I find the reaction to sporting events uncomprehendable! Why is it necessary? Does it help anything? Seems silly to me. I enjoy sports but don’t get this. I’m with you, I wouldn’t pay $100 for anything. . . well maybe to sit on the court, next to Jack Nicholson, at a Lakers game
I think that might cost you $500
I had no idea how intense it was…I think I’d do the same as you and avoid! Wine is much more relaxed
I think I will need a glass of wine in hand to watch the Copa America games on tv
You should be able to get tickets to a Boca game for WAY less than US$100. Also, you cannot possibly compare the consequence of one River game to the entire national football league. Heck, Fans in Canada rioted when Vancouver lost and hockey fans are generally as relaxed as they come…
The urine I can understand as easily as the fact you don’t care, but using the River game as an example is like using Brussels sprouts as an excuse not to eat any vegetable….
Well, I know you cannot buy tickets to Boca games from the team/ stadium itself because for some reason they are all bought by club members/ corporations. So you take considerable risk buying a cheaper ticket off the street because it might be fake.
You are right that there are not riots after every game. That is just what prompted me to write about what I have observed as an outsider.
Football violence is a worldwide problem, you should check out the history of Rangers and Celtic Scotland’s big two. I’d love to attend the River v Boca classico it’s one of my ambitions.
I have met a lot of foreigners here who are so excited to see futbol games. If you love the sport, it’s definitely a place to see a game.
Give me rugby anytime- a gentleman’s game.
Oh and a lot more physical contact.
We didn’t attend a game in Buenos Aires but did in Santiago. It was pretty intense! There were times we were very glad that alcohol wasn’t served to the fans!
It’s definitely a smart decision and probably prevents a lot of problems.
Sounds pretty intense. I thought if given the chance to live in a country like Argentina I would probably start to adopt soccer just like I started to adopt rugby in Australia, but this sounds a little too much for me. It’s one thing to see some isolated violence, but another to see a full on riot. Really interesting account of the game!
Man, this is no reason not to go to a football game in Argentina. This was historic and led to some violence in the streets.
99% of games are perfect for tourists. There is no need to worry and if you go in a group, very little risk at all. Soccer/football fans are not much different here than in Europe.
Jeff has a point. If it is something visitors want to participate in as part of the culture, I am not trying to discourage it. It is just not for me.
And they don’t throw urine in all stadiums… or at least not that I’ve heard of 😉
x_X wow, its like ice hokey to Canada, baseball is to America…but x10 worse
I totally understand why you won’t go, I wonder if some areas’ fans in Argentina are more pron to anger by the game than other areas?
This specific game was a HUGE deal because of money (of course). It is not like there are riots all the time in Argentina. I was really surprised to learn how the business model of futbol leagues/ teams works. As I said before, one of the reasons I don’t enjoy professional sports.
Oh my god, this is crazy! I have friends who go to football matches in the UK and Germany (I have never been myself) and even those riots sound like nothing compared to what you are talking about in Argentina!
Something has to be missing in a person’s life to make them so fanatical about sports. I’m not talking about genuine fans, more about those whose very happiness seems to hinge on the success of their team…
Agreed. There is nothing wrong with being a fan and being passionate about sports. But to let is affect your happiness… I just cannot understand that.
Ha! I find that to be just about the silliest thing I’ve ever read. The only thing we have is emotions. You cannot be a fan if it doesn’t make you happy or sad.
If you watch a terrible movie, you get disappointed. When your $200 New Years dinner sucks, you complain and feel down about it. When your favorite team is relegated, you feel bad about it.
I am not condoning violence and rioting, but to say it is hard to understand how people have emotional attachments…
As an American, I am probably one of the biggest soccer fans you will find. I will the English Premier League, La Liga, and the Champions League as well as world soccer events like Copa America, the World Cup, the Euros, and more. I see the highlights from Argentina and was shocked when I saw that River Plate went down. As part of my travels, I love to watch soccer and would definitely want to attend a match in Argentina. However, there is NO WAY I would have attended the last River Plate game!
I understand the passion of the fans because like you, I went to a school that is HUGE for college football and am a passionate fan of my school. I guess that is one way I connect with soccer and the passion there. However, the downside of the sport is that the passion also brings out the ugly side. I think there is a reason for that but too much to get into here.
I think anyone who knew anything about soccer in Argentina would not have gone to that game. (Note that I was not in that group and had to have the significance of the game explained to me.) Everyone here expected the worst. So a very good point… this doesn’t happen all the time, but people knew it would happen for this game.
Maybe you should write a post and share more of your thoughts
Argentine football is great, so it pays to go watch sometimes