Among the Thugs

Because I have to read a seemingly infinite amount of texts for graduate school I've concluded that in order to keep sane I need to always read something unrelated to my studies. I've wanted to read Bill Buford's first-hand account of british holliganism for quite awhile now. After finding a copy here at UGA I quickly became enthraled in this tale of violence and football (soccer). He willingly thrust himself into the culture of hooliganism and of football in general in order to find answers about violence. Did he find the answers he was looking for? No, but he did come to an important conclusion.

This synopsis gives an excellent description of the book and of Buford's conclusions upon writing it:

"Buford, a native of the United States, is the editor of the London-based literary magazine Granta . In 1982 he witnessed the takeover of a train, a football special, by English soccer thugs. He reveals how fascination for this distinctly English phenomenon of "soccer hooliganism" led him to follow a group of violent supporters of the Manchester United Red Devils. Buford is accepted into the group and in time seems to develop a sixth sense about impending violence or when things, in English parlance, are "going to go off." Particularly riveting is his account of the aftermath of a match in Turin, Italy, where 200 or so Manchester supporters marched through the ancient streets leaving fire and destruction in their wake. Buford's original theories on football violence, fraught with notions about disenfranchised youth and the frustration of the working class, are forever dashed. He concludes that the English working class is dead, and what remains is a culture so vapid that " . . . it pricks itself so that it has feeling, burns its flesh so that is has smell." Public and academic libraries should have this."

I could write pages and pages about this topic but rather I share a few articles relating to violence and football.

1. An interesting take on violent gangs in the Argentine league: http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2009/jun/26/huracan-violence-argentina-barra-brava

2. Another article on violence in the Argentine league: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/1856553.stm

2. Over the past several years the violence in England has seemed to die down a bit. But, is it something that will always exist? http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/aug/22/football-violence-hooligans

4. A funny clip from the Daily Show: http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/wed-june-30-2010/world-cup-2010--into-africa---vuvuzealots

So, if you are interested in the relationship between football and violence and the culture of hooliganism I would definitely take time to read this book.