NY Times article on Spurs and WHL

[worcestersauce]

^ This is exactly right. Professional sports very, very rarely see any violence, but college and high school can more often see things kick off.

While the age difference there is obvious (along with inclusion of alcohol), I think the more significant contributor is location. Not only are our professional teams relatively young compared to British football clubs, but they were bred in major cities well away from each other, while you have clubs in your top flight that were formed in nearly adjacent neighborhoods over a century ago.

Hooliganism has also just never really been a part of sports for us. I think your demographics who wanted in on gang violence found these clubs to rally around, while for us in the states they initially rallied via racial lines in our immigration culture.

A while back Stephen Fry did a series going to every US state in a black cab and when he went to Alabama he took in the Auburn v Alabama state college football local derby, seemed to me living proof that there is plenty of passion in American sport, absolutely packed to the rafters, like you say, college football is where its at.

 

[DaSpurs]

A while back Stephen Fry did a series going to every US state in a black cab and when he went to Alabama he took in the Auburn v Alabama state college football local derby, seemed to me living proof that there is plenty of passion in American sport, absolutely packed to the rafters, like you say, college football is where its at.

Haha that vids is one of my all-time favorites, as I am from Alabama and am a lifelong Bama fan. His reaction to the jet flyby is just gold. Despite growing up in such a culture, nothing I had ever seen, read, or heard before made me even hesitate to understand just how absurd our dedication to college sports is in this country, and especially in the South.

"Alabama state college football local derby," lol. This rivalry is pretty intense, and revered as one of the greatest in all of American sports, but even it simply doesn't ever really feature any violence.

 

[Lilbaz]

^ This is exactly right. Professional sports very, very rarely see any violence, but college and high school can more often see things kick off.

While the age difference there is obvious (along with inclusion of alcohol), I think the more significant contributor is location. Not only are our professional teams relatively young compared to British football clubs, but they were bred in major cities well away from each other, while you have clubs in your top flight that were formed in nearly adjacent neighborhoods over a century ago.

Hooliganism has also just never really been a part of sports for us. I think your demographics who wanted in on gang violence found these clubs to rally around, while for us in the states they initially rallied via racial lines in our immigration culture.

Some of our clubs are very close.

 

[DaSpurs]

Some of our clubs are very close.

Holy shit surely this is shopped.

 

[Lilbaz]

Holy shit surely this is shopped.

Nope.

 

[longtimespur]

Great old city of Dundee, amazing that 2 grounds can be so close.

As for segregation in UK, you don't see it in Rugby Union or Cricket nor Ice Hockey as far as I remember. My brother used to play for Haringey Racers back in the 50/60's.
Football segregation started after all the problems of fighting at grounds back in the 70's. I used to stand on the Shelf and always remember Chelsea fans at the Paxton Road end charging up the Shelf side, punching anybody on their way, to fight with the Spurs fans in the Park Lane stand.
In those days you could walk all round the ground apart from the East Stand. Directors boxes etc and you had to pay more to go into that area.