Green Street Hooligans

My first true introduction to soccer hooliganism is when I watched the movie Green Street Hooligans in spring semester of last year.  My friend is a big soccer fan and put it on one day in the fraternity house just a I got there and I was glued to the television the entire movie.  I knew how absurd English soccer fans were and I knew things got crazy, but what I did not realize was how it is at least ten times crazier outside of the stadium before and after a game.  Dr. Meek made this fact clear in his class discussion this past class.  I could not even come close to imagining Ohio State fans calling up  Michigan fans on Black Friday this year to go to some empty lot to kick the crap out of each other.  I understand that soccer is a big deal to them, but I am passionate about the Cubs, Eagles, Sabres, and Ohio State football, but I would not go fight a Cardinals, Cowboys, Senators, or Michigan fan just because he is a fan of the team.  To go out and possibly beat someone so hard they die is ridiculous.  Incidents about police officers being killed in these riots has surfaced too many times, all over Europe, not just in England, as they have done a better job of stopping hooliganism at the game and around the stadiums before and after games than Italy.  Italy has tried to stop violence by delaying games by five minutes.  As Dr. Meek said, predictably, that did not work at all.  It seems that violence can be controlled before, during, and after a game at the stadium itself, but hooliganism away from the pitch will probably never end.  People are going to continue to beat up other fans, police officers will continue to get hurt while trying to protect people.  On a lighter note, I really enjoyed Dr. Meek’s presentation.  As he said, he did not know exactly what to go up there and say, but he brought in some insight and answered questions very well.