11/05/24
May 06, 2002
The practice of stripping victorious athletes of their clothing is becoming a tradition. I wonder sometimes if U.S. sports will eventually be plagued by the same hooliganism that is commonplace elsewhere.
Well, first off, how does the link indicate becoming a tradition?
Also, I don't see the connection between Juve fans' joy at winning the top football (soccer) competition in Italy being expressed with a bit of souveneir grabbing - which has happened to umpteen Pop, Rock, Film & Sports stars in countires all over the world - & hooliganism.
There is sports-related violence in the US too.
[Disclaimer: I work for the magazine I linked too, but not as a writer. And this is my first post. And I'm British. Just kill me now...]
posted by i_cola at 07:59 AM on May 07, 2002
I know there's sports-related violence here -- my sister was caught in the parade riot after the Dallas Cowboys won their first Super Bowl against the Buffalo Bills. Thousands of teens from Dallas took advantage of a free-ride offer on city buses and headed downtown, and to my dismay, as the parade progressed you could see on television that the crowds were getting larger and more unruly by the minute. After fights broke out and a bunch of people were looking around for someone to mug, my sister and several friends fled to a T.G.I. Fridays restaurant. She, others, and the restaurantgoers stayed inside until the situation calmed down. Though riots like this happen in the U.S. after sports victories, the events themselves are not plagued by large groups of hooligans who have seized upon the event as a great opportunity to raise hell. That's what I'm most concerned about here, though I don't really understand why hooliganism is a problem elsewhere. As for stripping athletes becoming a tradition, the photo I linked to is the third or fourth such event to happen in the last month. It's as if people were inspired by the first story and now every on-field celebration after a game is going to be some idiot's opportunity to rip an athlete's uniform off.
posted by rcade at 08:17 AM on May 07, 2002
rcade: To describe the debagging of players as 'hooliganism' is plain wrong. It's no different from the treatment the Beatles got - in both Europe and the States - in the 60s.
posted by salmacis at 08:29 AM on May 07, 2002
I should point out that in England we refer to the 'uniform' as a 'football strip'. Which is just asking for trouble really ;-)
posted by i_cola at 09:08 AM on May 07, 2002
trouble indeed. any idea how 'strip' originated?
posted by garfield at 09:18 AM on May 07, 2002
I think incidents like the one I linked and an earlier story qualify as hooliganism. Fans are overpowering athletes and throwing them to the ground to steal their shoes.
posted by rcade at 10:57 AM on May 07, 2002
I don't think so. NBA, NFL NHL, or baseball players would beat you up, and the women's soccer team undresses itself.