And...THIS is why soccer (football) is effing crazy

[scadugenga]

A 20 year old ref argues with, and then ejects a 31 year old player in a Brazillian game.

They get into a fight.

The ref...the REF pulls a small knife and fatally stabs the player. (The fatality has not yet been confirmed, iirc.)

Now, if that wasn't insane enough...

The family and friends of the player STORM. THE. FIELD. Restrain the ref.

Then proceed to Stone. Him. To. Death.

Then...THEN...they quarter the body (wtf, is this the Middle Ages?!?) and plant the Ref's HEAD on a frikkin STAKE in the middle of the field.

You don't see that kinda crazy in American football or baseball, kids.

He'll, not even boxing or MMA.

[Wolfshade]

Worryingly it is not the only example of violence towards referres, nor the only death.

Perhaps one thing to bear in mind is the level of violence that we normally see in Brazil, for many people being a soccer star is the only way out of abject poverty and playing in one of the European leagues with an obscene salary.


Someone said to me 'To you football is a matter of life or death!' and I said 'Listen, it's more important than that'.

I wonder how much of this violence is representative of a rejection of traditional authority figures in society?

We had a number of tennis players arguing with the umpire during Wimbeldon.

Maybe if we made sport less important people wouldn't get so het up about it and just remember it is a game, played for enjoyment.

[Deadlift]

Don't worry Scad, Sunday morning kick about and pub leagues are still safe enough :)......most of the time.
Sounds like blood bowl.

[Psychosplodge]

You've got your brackets back to front.

[eldargal]

I understand enjoying playing sport, watching people play a sport you play and watching people you know playing sport. I don't understand the fascination with people who never play sport acting like it is some kind of religious experience to watch a bunch of overpaid young idiots kick a ball around or whatever. I get the entertainment value, but worshiping them and in extreme cases rioting or killing people is just silly.

[Wolfshade]

What do you mean, I am sure Barry Austin is off down the local sunday league each week:

http://i2.birminghammail.co.uk/incoming/article237388.ece/ALTERNATES/s615/barry-austin-431163559-237388.jpg

Barry Austin at 50st, reputedly the heaviest man in the UK (formerly) and devout Bluenose

[Kirsten]

I understand enjoying playing sport, watching people play a sport you play and watching people you know playing sport. I don't understand the fascination with people who never play sport acting like it is some kind of religious experience to watch a bunch of overpaid young idiots kick a ball around or whatever. I get the entertainment value, but worshiping them and in extreme cases rioting or killing people is just silly.

yup, I enjoy watching football, which often surprises my friends. Loved the federations cup, aside from the final, and looking forward to the world cup next year. I refused to have the sports channels on in my pub though, because of the arguments it causes.

[daboarder]

yup, I enjoy watching football, which often surprises my friends. Loved the federations cup, aside from the final, and looking forward to the world cup next year. I refused to have the sports channels on in my pub though, because of the arguments it causes.

I have this theory that its something about soccer that does this, maybe theres just not enough confrontation in the game and it just builds up and then after the spectators just go nuts.

But you don't generally see it on such a drastic and insane level in the spectators of other sports.

Take hockey, its one of the most violent games out their and yet the spectators are pretty well behaved. Or rugby same thing.

Mind you this view is from an auzzie

[Psychosplodge]

Take hockey, its one of the most violent games out their and yet the spectators are pretty well behaved.


Really? (http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=canadian%20hockey%20riot&source=web&cd=2&cad=rja&sqi=2&ved=0CDUQFjAB&url=https%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2F2011_V ancouver_Stanley_Cup_riot&ei=jrzbUfq7AsK80QXKjoC4Cg&usg=AFQjCNF0cSQbR-r7YTGHL45e6UWqI9ko8Q&bvm=bv.48705608,d.d2k)

[daboarder]

Really? (http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=canadian%20hockey%20riot&source=web&cd=2&cad=rja&sqi=2&ved=0CDUQFjAB&url=https%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2F2011_V ancouver_Stanley_Cup_riot&ei=jrzbUfq7AsK80QXKjoC4Cg&usg=AFQjCNF0cSQbR-r7YTGHL45e6UWqI9ko8Q&bvm=bv.48705608,d.d2k)

right, it must be an aussie thing then.

[Wildeybeast]

I understand enjoying playing sport, watching people play a sport you play and watching people you know playing sport. I don't understand the fascination with people who never play sport acting like it is some kind of religious experience to watch a bunch of overpaid young idiots kick a ball around or whatever. I get the entertainment value, but worshiping them and in extreme cases rioting or killing people is just silly.

The explanation is simple really. It's about watching people do something you wish you could do but are utterly incapable of doing with even the slightest modicum of skill, so watching others is the closest you can get.

[Kirsten]

lack of ability never stopped x factor

[Wildeybeast]

Sadly 10 million people don't want to pay good money to watch me huff and puff around a field whilst attempting to kick a ball in the general direction of someone wearing the same colour as me.

[scadugenga]

I get that professional athletes are the epitome of their skill, they can do things people who focus on having a life generally cannot do.

I do not get the mania (and this is speaking as a near (suburban) Chicagoan post Blackhawks' Stanley Cup win) surrounding the goings-on.

I mean, I get regional (city, etc) pride. That's been ingrained into us for centuries. Professional sports = stand-in for military prowess. (My (insert regional identity here)'s better than yours! We rule! We dominate! (in the case of Milwaukee--"we suck!").

But--the 'Hawks are based in Chicago--doesn't mean that the players are native Chicagoans, or hell--even native Illinoisans.

Professional sports is all about the draft--building your team like a Magic Player building a cutting-edge deck.

Yay! I should root for the home town team with...wait...no home town players?

Silly.

Of course, I'll throw all that out the window the moment the Cubs win the World Series.

Just sayin'.

[Learn2Eel]

I'm really shocked to see this happen, and my condolences go out to everyone involved.

I must say though that I feel this is less the result of the sport itself and more the area. Something like this would never happen in England or Australia, for example. Still, it does go to show that taking sport a little too seriously can only end in tears. Take the "Ultra" fans for Italian teams in particular; the supporters of foreign teams are often mobbed and attacked, knives and crowbars are often involved but they don't attack with the intent to kill. They just want to ruin the enjoyment of everyone else.

[Psychosplodge]

Once upon a time the English fans would apparently mix it with the Ultras on the continent, but our police stop those type travelling these days so actual fans get attacked by the foreign hooligan element instead...