Sometimes I have to remind myself every day that on this side of the pond, rugby and soccer (ahem, football) are the prime sports to watch. Lucky for me, I became fans of both in a matter of two weeks. Because I don’t know all the tactics to each of these sports, I have observed so much about what it means to be a player and a fan when it’s match day.
On October 3, my flatmates and other NCC colleagues attended our first professional football game at Sunderland’s Stadium of Light. The match was between Sunderland and West Ham, which is not a huge rivalry. However, given the attitudes of approximately 49,000 people, I couldn’t even tell. Here were my observations:
1) There’s no security at the venue, so you can literally take in whatever you want.
2) When I say that people are into the game, I mean that they throw their entire selves into each play that is made. One guy behind us said about every cuss word in the book when the Sunderland team messed up, or when a referee made a bad call. People will get up and scream and slam their chairs against the back until they lose their voices.
3) No music is played at all in the venue. They run solely on the noises in the crowd. It’s kind of a good thing in a way because both teams have their own chants that you never stop hearing. Although I couldn’t understand any of them, the fans have chants to cheer on their team, to criticize the referees, and to make fun of the other team, among others. The fans are real fans and real supporters of their team.
4) The players will try CONSISTENLY to fake an injury in order to get other players thrown out of the game, or to have the advantage of the ball. I saw a player from West Ham accidentally step on a Sunderland player’s foot (it was literally just a tap) and the Sunderland player fell to the ground, holding his leg to his chest and rolling over like he was in the worst pain of his life. The funny part was that within 2 minutes of his so-called “injury,” he was able to get up and play like nothing ever happened. Some players will try to help up players of the opposing team just to make it look like an accident so that they won’t get in trouble. It’s kind of ridiculous what players do just to get others in trouble.
5) Near the section where I sat was a section securely branched off for West Ham fans. I know I was warned of this, but at least 10 security guards had to stand between the Sunderland fan zone and West Ham’s. Football here can get so intense between rivalries that people fight and many have gotten hurt, hospitalized and even killed. It’s amazing to see how big of a rivalry can emerge between two teams.
6) In the end, the teams tied 2-2. They don’t go into overtime in order to end the game with a winner, which makes the audience more anxious. It certainly did for me.
On October 10, a few of us traveled to Newcastle for an event that happens only once a year: the Rugby World Cup. Of course, we are still students and could not afford tickets. However, we watched from the Fan Zone, which is just outside the stadium. The match is broadcasted live on a large screen in the center of the Fan Zone, as well as in several other smaller areas. The match was between Scotland and Samoa for a spot in the quarterfinals. My observations from this event were a little different and a little more surprising:
1) Although players have to have strong physical shape for this sport, the Samoan men are BEEFY. If you think of the character B.A. from “The A Team,” then you’ve got these men. They looked as tough they could send you to the hospital in 5 seconds compared to the Scottish players.
2) Rugby is kind of similar to football back home. The size of the ball is about the same and almost the same shape, just no laces. They don’t throw it overhand. They toss from under the armpit in a spiral motion to the next player. However, they’re allowed to run and pass the ball to several other players, not just one. They don’t stop the play at all unless absolutely necessary. Whenever someone gets tackled, they keep going. Whoever has the ball underneath the pile just hands it to the nearest player standing and the game continues. They can toss it or they can kick it whenever they want. If American football was like this, then perhaps the Sunday morning football games would keep people in their seats more often and less TV commercials would appear.
3) The players don’t wear any sort of padding during the match. That’s why the players stretch so long, because there’s not a lot that can protect them from being stepped on, punched, kicked, tackled, etc. You better hope the players watch where they’re going because it gets rough out there.
4) They actually respect their referees. There’s no arguing with a call, or small temper fuses that explode. You hear the call, accept it and move on. But the referees are also younger so they’re able to run around a lot to keep up with the players’ movements so they have a sharper eye to see the play. I do wish we had that instead of the old farts on the football field.
5) The coaches are secluded from the players during the match. The players are down below on the field, and way above the stadium in a box is the coach to just send messages here and there. The coach for Scotland, Ven Cotter, has the worst sort of emotion I’ve ever seen. If the team made a “try” (a touchdown), then he would clap maybe three times without a smile or a cheer, and then sit down again.
6) The try lines are behind the field goal posts, instead of in front, and the field goals are a lot skinnier. In order for the try to count, the ball has to make contact with the ground. It doesn’t matter if the player has it in their hands. It has to touch the ground while in the player’s hands for it to count.
7) The players have so many muscles because some of the plays they make require at least two players to lift another one of their players literally in the air in order to catch the ball. Yes, they have to practice lifting grown men into the air to catch a rugby ball.
8) Scotland won 36-33 and now they’re moving onto the quarterfinals!