Soccer is such a tedious boring snore of a 'sport' that it is not surprising the audience descends into boorish behavior. Spain is no longer a 3d world country and its people should set about to finding real sports like rugby or football.

Nuke Spain.

Spain DOES have Football - The European Federation of American Football has youth leagues.

I know Barcelona does but that is not Spain.

One of the many great things about soccer matches is that, unlike U.S. sports in most stadia, very little crowd-manipulation-via-multimedia takes place. I hightly recommend to anyone here who patronizes professional sports that he attend a soccer match next time in England; the crowd creates its own atmosphere, mainly via songs, chants and cheers/oohs/ahs. It's always interesting and often lovely.

Of course, you'll always have the yobs, no matter where -- much like the ref- and coach-baiters here in the U.S. (hello, Dan Issel) -- but the overall experience is much more natural, spontaneous and human than at American events.

I understand that Fenway has resisted this to some extent, but all the other events I've attended in the past 10 years, including baseball at the awful Safeco field here in WA, are unbearable.

Jorge:

The Yanks (and Canadians) are too busy listening to jingles and guzzling hot dogs to pay attention to the actual sport on display.

And the Europeans are too bored by the actual sport on display that they have to sing songs in order to pass the time.

Jorge:

We take our kids to professional sports events. What European parent would do that?

Lots, Peter. I don't have stats, though. And they can actually communicate and enjoy the match, as opposed to being bombarded by an endless stream of loud digitized exhortations and bad pop music. Much more human.

Jorge:

Not according to the Brits and Euros I meet at my kid's school. They can't get over the family focus on sport and how safe it is, not only from violence but also from from general loutish behaviour.

I don't mind the razz-ma-tazz too much, but I concede to you on the music--it's awful. And, sadly, the sultry maidens in the stands at soccer championships seem to have no equivalent in hockey rinks. :-)

I remember an opinion column from when I was living in England.

The author was describing his experience at going to see professional US sports, and comparing that experience with going to see soccer.

The thing that amazed him most? That in all the professional games the author went to see in the US, his shoes didn't get peed on once.

Really terrible behavior in European sportin events. Why can't they behave with class like the Piston players and fans as you can see here.

"Not according to the Brits and Euros I meet at my kid's school. They can't get over the family focus on sport and how safe it is, not only from violence but also from from general loutish behaviour."

It depends where you go. Apart from the odd fixture involving particular clubs, football is far more family-friendly than it used to be in England.

In Spain, Greece, Italy though it's tied up wuth the whole machismo thing. Females and children would definitely not be encouraged to go to the Rome derby.

In France, soccer is a pleasant experience and the pan bagnat, I had at a Nice-Auxerre match, is the best stadium food I've ever had. However, the barbed wire fence and armed guards that surround the field, preventing spectators from running on to the pitch, are a bit off-putting. They are obviously there for a reason.