over the mere twenty two years that i have lived, i have always been a sports fan. i remember at an early age going to a very cold and windy candlestick park with nana and papa, bundled in jackets and beanies, to watch the 49ers play. i remember giants games at candlestick and a's games at the coliseum. i remember super bowl games and playoff disappointments. i remember lineups and statistics. i think it would be safe to say that i have wasted parts of my memory on sports. i could have used this space inside my head for economics, sat words, the spanish langauge, and probably many other useful skills or tidbits of knowledge. and yet the strange thing about my little sports mania problem is that it would hardly be considered a problem in buenos aires.
my devotion to sports is a fleeting as the cal bears' recent success in the top 25. the life of a sports fanatic in buenos aires takes a much different form. beneath a blazing argentine sun, matt and i made our way out to boca to see the legendary boca stadium and watch boca juniors play infront of the most maniacal fans on earth. the streets of boca were lined with police. the sun lit the dark blue and bright yellow striped stadium. the green, red, pink, blue and purple houses surrounding the stadium instilled energy among all the fans. matt and i opted for the safest seats we could find. unlike any sporting game i have ever attended, the expensive seats are high and the cheap seats are on the field. the difference being: if any celebrity like matt damon or jack nicholson, kate hudson or owen wilson sat on the field, they would be seriously risking their lives. this is the key difference that must be grapsed when understanding the craziness of argentine futbol. the stadium puts all the tourists up top for their safety. so matt and i paid more to sit farther away, but walk away with our lives and bodies intact.
after making our trek to the top of the stadium, we watched the end of boca's youth team play. the fanaticos were starting to warm up. flags and banners lined the stadium. blue and yellow were as common as starbucks in san francisco. when boca juniors took the field, the stadium erupted with newspaer confetti, drums pounding and songs echo across the walls. this was only the beginning. during the next ninety minutes of futbol, the songs only grew louder and the drum beat furiously. on the other side of the stadium at the very top sat a small section of black and red dressed estudiantes fans. when estudiantes struck first with a shocking goal, the estudiantes fans went loco. they danced and cheered as loud as the boca fans. but when boca equalized in the second half, the stadium shook. the concrete moved to rhythym of the dance induced earthquake. the fans rushed forward to the gates that gripped the ground and separated the players on the field from incoming chaos and madness.
the devotion of boca fans is unquestioned. their song thundered despite being down a goal for most the game. i saw fathers hoisting their sons in these sections admidst the madness to jump and sing along. to be a boca fan is to be born a boca fan. most of boca is a very poor neighborhood. boca juniors carries the hope of a broken community. futbol is the pride of boca. the life in their songs. the joy in their dance. and the twelth man (the name of the fans) shakes their arms as one showing the solidarity of their devotion.
the boca hymn:
“Boca Juniors; Boca Juniors, you great soccer champion – you who awaken love, enthusiasm and faith in our chests. Your blue and golden banner was unfurled in Europe as a triumphant emblem, wherever it was called on to fight.
Boca is our victorious chant, for never is it afraid to fight ; Boca is enthusiasm and valor, Boca…move forward to prevail….
With your victorious emblem, in colors gold and blue, our vigorous youth waxes enthusiastic on the pitch….. Your colors electrify, triumphant Old Boca, and your battlefields cover you with glory.
Boca is our victorious chant, for never is it afraid to fight ; Boca is enthusiasm and valor, Boca…move forward to prevail…."
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
I too know all about Candlestick Park and the cold windy atmosphere. My memories are very similar to the ones you posted here. You are all too correct in your assessment of the Argentine soccer team Boca Juniors. I lived in Argentina for two years and witnessed the crazy fans down there. It was quite a spectacle!
Post a Comment