12/21/24
July 22, 2006
Death by Hamburger.: Hamburg SV, a Bundesliga side from the northern port city, aims to open the graveyard some 50 feet from the stadium's main entrance, said deputy chairman Christian Reichert.
posted by worldcup2002 to soccer at 02:59 AM - 9 comments
You know, this speaks to a discussion in the Bill Simmons thread about how the micromanaged heavily manufactured American-style fandom doesn't reach into the soul of the average sports fan the same way a lifetime grassroots allegiance, not overcontrolled by heavy corporate involvement and ad-agency manipulation and attention-spanless hype, does. Looking at stories like this, that case is strengthened. (I mean, Jimmy Hoffa may be buried in the end zone at Giants Stadium, but that's a totally different situation.) If the fans are interested and people are more or less okay with it, then why not. And I'd be willing to bet that this isn't the only place something like this has been done, although 50 feet from ther main entrance seems pretty close. (Aw, those wacky Germans, always so cavalier about death!)
posted by chicobangs at 04:49 AM on July 22, 2006
You might be interested in this story: I threw my mates ashes over the Istanbul crowd. Personally I think it was funny as fuck, but it's caused many Liverpool fans to take offence. Loads of ashes get scattered on the Kop or on the hallowed turf, but for some reason a lot of people get very squeamish about the idea of a bit of carbon getting in their hair ;-) Here's some reaction from the Liverpool fans.
posted by walrus at 07:42 AM on July 22, 2006
That's a little gross, but they're ashes, they're sterile at least. As big a Leafs fan as I am, I don't want to be buried (or sprinkled, etc) anywhere near Maple Leaf Gardens, the ACC, the HHOF or anywhere else connected with the team. (Frankly, I don't care what happens to my body, as I'll be done with it. But still.)
posted by chicobangs at 10:47 AM on July 22, 2006
Of course, this would never work in America, where our teams are constantly moving around and demanding newer, shinier, more publicly financed arenas in the nice part of town. You'd eventually end up with a bunch of people buried under a new interstate hub or, worse, a new Starbucks.
posted by The_Black_Hand at 11:23 AM on July 22, 2006
With 42,000 registered supporters at the club and just 500 graves up for grabs, competition for places promises to be fierce. Officials have already begun taking reservations. That's what I call dedicated fans. Seriously, though, I think Chico brings out what appears (to my American eyes) to be a difference between American and European teams: a willingness to make decisions for more than just the next year. Not that there aren't exceptions (*cough* $25M fees for two 30+ year old players by Real Madrid last week *cough*) but consider the general practice of signing players who'll be kept to a new deal at least 18 months before the old one expires. Which seems to be done even with non-star players. On preview: And, as TBH points out, teams rarely move more than a few blocks and then only when a new stadium is warranted.
posted by billsaysthis at 11:34 AM on July 22, 2006
I think thats pretty dumb. I mean they can get buried in a normal cemetery but they can get their tombstone painted in their favorite team colors. Its a waste of money and space.
posted by sportscrazy at 04:55 PM on July 22, 2006
Walrus, that is fantastic, and would have been worthy of a link on its own.
posted by Samsonov14 at 08:16 PM on July 22, 2006
The proposed graveyard is actually in a pretty nice spot; my cousin pointed it out to me as we were leaving the ECU:CRC game in June. Lots of greenery around, etc - and close enough to hear the cheers of the fans. My cousin's take, and that of the other Hamburgers I talked to about it, was that it's kinda silly and awful expensive, but if that's how you want to spend your cash, whatever.
posted by nickmark at 01:13 PM on July 26, 2006
Dying to get in there?