Sport and Globalization in London & Seville

After already seeing a Betis game here in Sevilla, the Carleton Sports and Globalization has the opportunity to see yet another game. Rather than Betis though, it was another hometown team, Sevilla F.C. Although the Betis game was a fun one to watch, Sevilla FC is actually doing decently well in the standings which made rooting for them a little easier. Some of us started out the day of the game, March 2, by getting some tapas as is the tradition here. A few of us were bold enough to order the seafood paella which is quite a different cuisine than what some of us at a Minnesotan college might be used to. The food was as they say here “muy delicioso.” After filling our stomachs we proceeded to a sports bar near the stadium of Sevilla FC. Here, we watched the Atletico and Real Madrid game, which was battle to put it lightly. The whole bar was packed. This game itself was a thriller even on the TV as it was one of the most physical games I had ever seen. It ended in a 2-2 tie. Then it was time for the live action. As I entered the stadium it seemed colossal in comparison to that of Betis. During the game there were all sorts of cheering: high pitched whistling to express anger, clapping to show content, and a myriad of yelling. The play between Sevilla FC and their opponent, Real Sociedad, seemed fairly equally but perhaps more on the side for Sevilla. This made it a little more exciting than the Betis as each play seemed crucial. No results were produced though in the first half. With the second half underway, I was privileged enough to talk quickly with some locals behind me and soon we were all either cheering together or booing the referee’s bad calls. It was an elating experience. Cheers consisted of either songs or random people calling out a chant. Then at last in the 77th minute a goal was scored by Sevilla! The crowd went absolutely “Loco.” In the diehard fan section, people were pushing and shoving one another in celebration and I thought someone was going to get hurt. Luckily this was not the case. In addition to the physicality of the celebration a roar of cheers was in order. The game ended in a 1-0 victory for Sevilla. After the game everyone moved quickly out of the stadium to beat others to the local public transportation. The underground system was full of people.