http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8703030.stm

Not the biggest fan of football anyway but…. have people really got so little perspective on winning/losing a game?
Last week London Bridge station was rammed with Police in the evening rush hour – looked like they were expecting trouble. And then I realised Millwall were playing….
If I don't ride too well I don't go off and beat up a random member of the public/another rider or my girlfriend…
[shrugs in dispair]

Rates of domestic violence increases at Xmas too. Alcohol is the factor not football.

Sorry if that fact is going to spoil anyone's prejudices so early in the thread.

people get stressed, people drink alcohol. add hot weather into the mix and you have dangerous mixture.

If I don't ride too well I don't go off and beat up a random member of the public/another rider or my girlfriend…

<sighs> the overwhelming majority of football violence happens between groups of adults WHO WANT TO FIGHT EACH OTHER. Why not let them? Football and other sports violence is as old as the sports themselves. I cannot be bothered to go into why terratorial pissing is so important to elements and cetain age groups in society but it is and always has been and always will be.

Alcohol is the factor not football.

This may well be true in part, but much domestic violence is down to anger and frustration. There do seem to be some people who get that from football.

We had a thread fairly recently in which someone admitted that his girlfriend got worried when he'd not been riding well because he tended to shout and break things.

A big football match and Christmas are probably the only occasions when enough people are getting worked up about the same thing to have an impact on the statistics.

have people really got so little perspective on winning/losing a game?

You can be passionate about football without getting violent if you lose. I guess football fans represent a cross-section of society, some of who are assholes.

trailmonkey – Member
Rates of domestic violence increases at Xmas too. Alcohol is the factor not football.

Sorry if that fact is going to spoil anyone's prejudices so early in the thread.

+1

Domestic violence in Glasgow increases dramatically during Old Firm matches but unless the other half supports the opposing team I'm guessing that again its the alcohol rather tha football related here as well

Sorry if that fact is going to spoil anyone's prejudices so early in the thread.

How very dare you!

*puts soap box back in the cupboard*

Domestic violence in Glasgow increases dramatically during Old Firm matches but unless the other half supports the opposing team I'm guessing that again its the alcohol rather tha football related here as well

The BBC, for all your football/domestic violence stories.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/glasgow_and_west/8036197.stm

but much domestic violence is down to anger and frustration. There do seem to be some people who get that from football.

Yes we watch football for the anger and frustration and then we seek out a loved one to vent on whatever the result.
Hot weather, alcohol and @rseh0les are responsible for [domestic] violence.
I agree that if gangs of violent yobs want to meet up in areas away from civilised folk in order to beat the sh1t out of one another – whilst commiting no other crime – then I am ok with this. I find it stupid, pointless and a waste but perhaps they think that of MTB when you could in fact be pummling in the face if a complete stranger with a homemade tool.
Perhaps we should let everyone leave the ground who wants to and then have some sort of Gladitorial combat on the ground?

We had a thread fairly recently in which someone admitted that his girlfriend got worried when he'd not been riding well because he tended to shout and break things.

That would be me then…

I must admit whilst I have my problems, I don't understand the emotion behind simply watching/supporting sport. I did a job at Emirates stadium recently, and couldn't get my head round THAT MANY people wanting to spend their afternoons sitting there watching a few guys kicking a ball around. If they're into football, why not kick a ball around the park with some mates? Getting stressed because *you* can't perform is one thing – you can change that (and IMO, bloody well should). Getting stressed because somebody else isn't up to it – well, surely they're not worth your time in that case?

[For avoidance of doubt, I did not mean to suggest that Jon should be included in anyone's domestic violence statistics.]

I did a job at Emirates stadium recently, and couldn't get my head round THAT MANY people wanting to spend their afternoons sitting there watching a few guys kicking a ball around.

People in liking different things shocker.

Whatever next.

looked like they were expecting trouble. And then I realised Millwall were playing….

This is more down to modern policing techniques rather than specifically Millwall*

* I'm well aware they used to have a rep about violence, like most clubs 'back in the day' it's mostly sorted out now. Partly that's to do with heavy handed police, and partly to do with the clubs. As has been suggested a wide range of people watch football, some of them are ****.

[gets back in box]
I'm with JonEdwards on the getting frustrated with your own performance rather than other people's tho'

my bro is a massive footy fan and gets very angry, agitated and verbally abusive (though hes not physically aggressive) when there is any kind of footy on.
personally i cant stand football, and think rugby is better where it is usual to have a drink with the apposing fans after. i think the difference is in rugby there is usually a constant stream of 'things' happening where as football has constant expectant tension. this seems to wind the crowd up

edit; for 'things' read painful looking nastyness happening to someone else

Rates of domestic violence increases at Xmas too. Alcohol is the factor not football

So it's the football that makes a lot of people drink to the point of beating up on their wives kids & opposing fans rather than just football 😐

If you can turn that stream of conciousness into something approaching a coherent sentence, I'd be more than happy to engage. 😉

People who beat their wives beat their wives, if the rate of incidents increases with booze or the hightened emotions of a football match then thats just a statistical blip. Blokes don't hit their wives because of football, they hit their wives all the time, and during the football and at Christmas and on his birthday and on her birthday and during antiques roadshow. They hit their wives because they are arseholes but principally they hit their wives because they can.

I'd be more than happy to engage

Engage? – It's not a duel is it? pistols or rapiers?

anyway……..

If it's the alcohol that makes football fans turn into sub-humans what makes them drink to excess during the World cup? – the football maybe?

Pretty much every variety of crime increases when it's sunny. BAN THE SUN!

If it's the alcohol that makes football fans turn into sub-humans what makes them drink to excess during the World cup?

The fact that they're subhuman.