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Why does soccer/football have hooligan behavior?

konka

konka

Member
Oct 25, 2017
2,856
Say what you will about American sports, including MLS. But there isn't the same behavior of violence that is associated with soccer/football hooligans. Even at the worst rivalry games (Yankees red socks) you don't see the kind of conflict that can erupt from a soccer/football match. What's the source of this behavior?
 
TheGrue

TheGrue

Member
Oct 25, 2017
689
I went to a Mets/Phillies home opener in Philly one time and saw more fights than I've ever seen in my life.
 
EloKa

EloKa

GSP
Verified
Oct 25, 2017
1,909
The first origins of the hooliganism in football / soccer dates back to the 14th century. So the phenomenon is way older than the US or the american sport habits.

While I don't mind Ultras (hardcore supporters, pyro) I do definately dislike Hools but it seems that many Clubs have a mix of those two groups in their fanbases.
 
Officer Big Mac

Officer Big Mac

Member
Oct 28, 2017
22,596
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Stooge

Stooge

Member
Oct 29, 2017
11,333
A lot of the violence is street gangs and skin head related.

I know Ajax fans used to have knife fights on the highway outside Amsterdam so the team banned the whole section and then they just moved one section over.
 
Penny Royal

Penny Royal

The Fallen
Oct 25, 2017
4,158
QLD, Australia
konka said:
Say what you will about American sports, including MLS. But there isn't the same behavior of violence that is associated with soccer/football hooligans. Even at the worst rivalry games (Yankees red socks) you don't see the kind of conflict that can erupt from a soccer/football match. What's the source of this behavior?
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There's acres of sociology about this question. Maybe start on Wikipedia and go from there? This should start you off:

Football Hooligans – Subcultures and Sociology

haenfler.sites.grinnell.edu haenfler.sites.grinnell.edu
 
Sheepinator

Sheepinator

Member
Jul 25, 2018
28,158
Is it a big problem these days? There have been big incidents like English and Russian fans at Euro 2016, true, but I don't recall hearing much in the news since then. Not saying it doesn't happen, it just seems to be a shadow of what it was in the 80's.

Bear in mind there are vastly more soccer matches going on around the world each week than NFL or MLB games.
 
bixente

bixente

Member
Jan 27, 2019
2,277
Yes hooliganism exists, but naturally you've got a massive sample size to draw from when the sport is played everywhere from Tajikistan, the USA, to the Faroe Islands.
 
El-Suave

El-Suave

Member
Oct 27, 2017
4,832
Ticket prices are cheap, football hasn't been as gentrified in some places yet as most other sports have. When it does get there, the higher you go in leagues and the more money is involved, fan culture dies and hooliganism which is a tiny part of that culture dies first.
 
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