Dale La Boca!
I have been going to some soccer games lately. As you might know, soccer (in Spanish, futbol) is the most popular sport in much of South America, and Argentina is no exception. The team that gets my support is La Boca. I guess I picked this team because the neighborhood that houses the stadium is right next to mine, so I figure they’re my team.
The team’s official name is Boca Juniors. Why Juniors? No idea. I think they picked it because it is an English word. They’re is nothing Junior about this team, though. The biggest rivalry in Argentina is between Boca and River, a team that resides in the upscale neighborhood of Belgrano. And the fight goes way beyond the field–it is basically a class war. River calls themselves "Los Millionarios," aka the millionaires. I once went on a few dates with this guy, but when he found out I was a Boca fan, he got all upset. It is like the Capulets and the Montagues, the Sharks and the Jets, you cannot be sympathetic to the other side!
The games are amazingly intense, and for a girl who constantly complained that she didn’t understand why people got so into sporting events, I have come to understand a bit better. I have to say, though, Boca fans know how to back a team like no other fanbase I have ever seen. I sit in the "popular" section, 
meaning there are no assigned seats, and no one is sitting anyway. There is always someone playing a big bass drum, others on horns, and everyone singing songs to cheer on the team. People tie banners that cascade all the way down the stadium, they handout flags and confetti…. It is a very powerful experience to be amongst the Boca fans, you cannot leave without being completely seduced.
My first game was probably my favorite so far. For some reason, early in the game, the opposing team got a penalty kick. The goalie took the kick and scored. Ok, we Boca fans can deal. What happened next, well, just goes to show what not to do when playing in La Cancha (the stadium of La Boca).
So, the goalie scores, and then goes up to the corner of the field and starts TAUNTING the fans. You can imagine he was saying stuff like, "Yeah, that’s right, who just scored on you guys?, etc." and gesticulating and dancing about. WELL, the fans start chucking whatever they can over the stands into the field, mostly empty plastic bottles, but there is a downpour of trash right on his head. And he gets a yellow card for being so obnoxious. But the most important part about this is how short sighted that goalie must be. First of all, I doubt he expected the yellow card. But more so, he forgets that after the first half, the sides change, and he will be manning goal right infront of the popular section!
So, the second half is about to start, the players take their positions. Unfortunately for this goalie, he cannot get in goal. Buckets of trash are being thrown into his net. Nonstop. It literally lasts (and I mean literally) 15 minutes. Eventually, Palermo, a very popular player on La Boca, has to come over and plea with the fans to let the game begin because it can’t start until the goalie gets in position!
I just couldn’t stop laughing. It was truly amazing. And while one could say that Boca fans take everything too far, I completely disagree. In this case, this guy got his just desserts.
One of the icons of La Boca is the number 12. The reason why La Boca is associated with the number 12 is that there are 11 players on the field on either football team. But when you consider the force of the Boca fanbase, well, they have 12 players.
Now, that’s beautiful.
