THIS MAGAZINE: BECAUSE EVERTHING IS POLITICAL

Search for:

• FEATURES
• THIS & THAT
• ARTS & IDEAS
• FICTION & POETRY
• LETTERS
• BLOG THIS
•  
• SUBSCRIBE
• BACK ISSUES
• SUPPORT THIS
•  
• ABOUT THIS
• CONTRIBUTORS
• CONTACT THIS
• ADVERTISE
• SITE MAP

Home » Blog This

May 02, 2007

tooliganism

Posted by john_d at 10:20 AM ET

(image courtesy Toronto FC)

In case anyone was wondering... watching Toronto FC lose an action packed thrillfest of a home opener last Saturday afternoon with over 20,000 other screaming, chanting, singing idiots was without question the best time I've had at a pro-sports event in many, many years.

The final score was 1-nil for Kansas City, and still we cheered. If it had ended nil-nil, we might have gone insane with joy at being present when the team earned its historic first point. For goal-loving hockey fans there's no logic to any of this, so don't bother looking. Understanding the mentality of a soccer crowd only happens inside the crowd.

You'd think a sold out stadium of delirious fans entertained to within an inch of their lives by a 1-0 loss would make the local sports media sit up and take notice, if only for the weird novelty of it all. And while there was some begrudging coverage of the event by the major dailies, most of the hockey industrial complex made a point of bad-mouthing the whole idea of a soccer as a sport. One radio commentator wondered how long it would take for local fans to come to their senses and start ignoring "this garbage." And this is a guy who covers the Leafs.

This summer Canada will host the FIFA Under-20 World Cup tournament, with games played across the country. The final will take place on Toronto FC's home pitch at BMO Field in July. I expect the local headlines to be about hockey players in celebrity golf tournaments.

More entries on:

Previous: Sarah Polley, paranoia and festivals galore
Next: Fundie newsflash

---

Reader comments:

Anyone see the game tonight? Heatley was awesome. Go Sens!!!

Posted by: andrew at May 2, 2007 11:01 PM

•

The match had an incredible atmosphere, TFC players and coaches who have played in Europe compared it with the support they received there. It was an absolute blast.

As far as media coverage, I heard a lot of surprise comming from sports radio hosts the next couple of days, they were astounded at the level of support and the energy of TFC supporters.

To them I say get used to it, because we're not going anywhere.

Posted by: Mick at May 3, 2007 07:17 PM

•

Andrew,

There's still hockey? Really? Huh.

One of the great differences between soccer fans and what we normally see in North America is in the relationship to the team, which is not a team at all but a club. The fans are members of the club -- and not second class members either.

While any North American pro-sports athlete appreciates fan support, and even occasionally actively enourages noise during a game -- check out Jose Calderon at a Raptors game in TO (brilliant) -- soccer players actually cheer the fans. It's a fundamentally different relationship. Fans and players work together at a home game to intimidate and beat the visitors. As soon as a KC went up 1-nil last Saturday, the crowd starting chanting "We're going to win 2-1!"

Toronto has a deserved reputation for reticent, quiet, inattentive sports crowds. Apparently the problem all along was with the sport, not the people.

Posted by: john_d at May 4, 2007 09:40 AM

•

Cool site. Thank you!
outdoor christmas decorations

Posted by: christmas outdoor decorations at November 24, 2007 11:36 PM

•

Nice site. Thank you.
artificial christmas trees

Posted by: artificial christmas trees at November 25, 2007 02:54 AM

•

Nice site. Thank you.
artificial christmas trees

Posted by: artificial christmas trees at November 25, 2007 02:54 AM

•

Nice site. Thank you.
artificial christmas trees

Posted by: artificial christmas trees at November 25, 2007 02:55 AM

•

Cool site. Thanks:-)
christmas gifts

Posted by: christmas gifts for teens at November 25, 2007 06:57 AM

•

Cool site. Thank you:-)
homemade christmas ornaments

Posted by: homemade christmas ornaments at November 25, 2007 10:01 AM

•

Cool site. Thank you:-)
homemade christmas ornaments

Posted by: homemade christmas ornaments at November 25, 2007 10:01 AM

•

Good site. Thank you!
homemade christmas ornaments

Posted by: homemade christmas ornaments at November 25, 2007 10:03 AM

•

Nice site. Thank you!
handmade christmas stockings

Posted by: handmade christmas stockings at November 25, 2007 10:36 AM

•

Cool site. Thanks!!!
homemade christmas ornaments

Posted by: homemade christmas ornaments at November 25, 2007 10:48 AM

•

---

Post your own comment:

Name:

Email Address:

URL:
Remember Me? YesNo

Comments: (you may use HTML tags for style)

---

 Subscribe to the feed

---

Blog This Must-Reads

---

---

---

Blog This Archives

May 2009
April 2009
March 2009
February 2009
January 2009
December 2008
November 2008
October 2008
September 2008
August 2008
July 2008
May 2008
April 2008
March 2008
February 2008
January 2008
December 2007
November 2007
October 2007
September 2007
August 2007
July 2007
June 2007
May 2007
April 2007
March 2007
February 2007
January 2007
December 2006
November 2006
October 2006
September 2006
August 2006
July 2006
June 2006
May 2006
April 2006
March 2006
February 2006
January 2006
December 2005
November 2005
October 2005
September 2005
August 2005
July 2005
June 2005
May 2005
April 2005
March 2005
February 2005
January 2005
December 2004
November 2004
October 2004
September 2004
August 2004
July 2004
June 2004
March 2000

---