Monday, October 09, 2006

 

Futbol

For those of you confused by the first letter of this post and its title, let me begin by explaining that I am typing on an IES computer, and therefore have full use of all the fun and fantastic letters in the alfabet. I can also use "ñ"!

"Futbol" is the borish translation that these idiotic iberians use when talking about the good old fashioned American sport of Soccer. Nothing says America to me more than Apple Pie, the Forth of July, and Soccer. I went to a Barcelona (not the EU Champions, the Catalan team from the Spanish League) futbol game last night. It was the Catalans vs. the Basques, which I thought was interesting as neither team really wanted to be part of Spain. The sport itself is, I guess, the same everywhere, but the fans are so different here from the soccer fan in the US. (His name is Jerry)

Everyone, or at least 90% of them, tie the flag of the team they support around their neck. It is like being in a stadium with so many caped crusaders. The fans seem to be less interested in the game, so much as they are preoccupied with their own little rituals. There were some that I was familiar with, like "The Wave". However, there were others such as a responsorial chant between the two sides of the stadium. There was also a ritual that involved lighting flares and throwing them around the stands. That one was an import from the Basques. No, really.

The game ended in a tie, which seemed perfectly natural to all the Spaniards there who didn´t realize that: it´s not a game unless somebody loses. Then as I left the stadium I noticed that some of the Catalan "super heroes" were chatting with their Basque opposition. That hippie mentality of thinking that futbol is "only a game" and that you shouldn´t hate someone souly because they support a different team than you might fly here in the EU, but I´m glad to be from American. I think a good sports victory induced riot would do the people here some good.

-Tim M Lunardoñi

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