Are football fans are the worst supporters in world sport?

bikes_and_dogs

I have broken my settee cheering a late winner, and followed my team to Europe, so I get the passion.
However, it dismays me that football fans are almost uniquely hostile towards the opposing players and fans as well as the officials. I'm not just talking about the lone loudmouth, more the coordinated sour chanting that you don't really see elsewhere.

elbowloh

drexel1975

I find the golf fans during the Ryder Cup to be particularly loathsome. Especially when it is played in the USA.

seanoconn

drexel1975 said:

I find the golf fans during the Ryder Cup to be particularly loathsome. Especially when it is played in the USA.

Worse than football fans? Or just bad for golf fans.

joeyhalloran

I think it's just that there are more football fans so there are more bad fans that get attention.

There are pillocks following every sport.

First.Aspect

Get in the hole.

First.Aspect

How about Dutch cycling or F1 fans?

In terms of negative impacts on anyone else trying to watch the same thing, they must be fairly high on the list.

joe_totale-2

There's some pretty insufferable Indian/Pakistan cricket fans out there who are incredibly blinkered and must relate everything ever in cricket to their rivalry.

MattFalle

drexel1975 said:

I find the golf fans during the Ryder Cup to be particularly loathsome. Especially when it is played in the USA.

tbf, 99% of golfers arewankers anyway, to it follows to suit.

rick_chasey

Which other sports have a hooligan culture?

Dorset_Boy

rick_chasey said:

Which other sports have a hooligan culture?

Struggling to think of (m)any that have to have the fans / supporters segregated.

My second rugby match was England vs Scotland on the old south terrace at Twickenham. Every time England scored, the Scottish hip flasks were passed round. When Scotland scored, the English hip flasks were shared. That type of thing continues to this day, strangers shaking hands after a game and buying each other a pint.

Could you ever imagine that at a football stadium?

RedClip

rick_chasey said:

Which other sports have a hooligan culture?

Crown Green Bowling.
You never want to be on the receiving end of a Werthers Original missile attack 😉

verylonglegs

Dorset_Boy said:

rick_chasey said:

Which other sports have a hooligan culture?

Struggling to think of (m)any that have to have the fans / supporters segregated.

Was going to make this point myself, it seems to be what makes football fans more unique.

First.Aspect

rick_chasey said:

Which other sports have a hooligan culture?

There have been a few riots after the NBA and NFL finals.

elbowloh

I think if football had never had been invented there would be a hooligan culture in some other sport. The real hardcore thugs didn't go to watch football, they may have travelled to the vicinity of the town where "their" team was playing, but they'd go purely for the violence, pre-arranging with the oppo where to meet for a rumble and miss the match entirely. The badge just gave them something to assemble behind.

bikes_and_dogs

A couple of hours after I posted the discussion i watched the Ryder Cup "highlights".
We have a stewards enquiry.

DeVlaeminck

The culture around football has an unpleasant element. I mean fans of my team chanting the opposition striker is a sex offender on Saturday - stuff like that - it crosses the line of what is acceptable.

You see the same at all levels of the game - the shortage of refs at grassroots because they are sick of the abuse from players and the side lines. The way pros get away with shouting obscenities when a decision goes against them etc.

It is a minority but it's too big a minority.