Why are North American chants so lame compared to soccer chants/songs?

[SnowblindNYR]

Refs you suck! f*** (fill in the blank)! (Blank) sucks!

I'm watching a documentary about the England-Italy Euro final and the English fans are singing "you can stick your twirly pasta up your arse". Now you can like it or not (I find it hilarious) but at least there's some creativity.

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[norrisnick]

Because all the crazy fans of all the NA sports aren't jammed into following only one sport.

 

[Prairie Habs]

Different sporting cultures. In North America its more about focusing in on the game itself. With euro soccer it's more about the vibes and being a part of the crowd (maybe more like US college football games?).

There's maybe also something to be said about soccer affording it's fans the ability to focus on their coordinated chants and songs without really worrying about missing something on the field of play...

 

[MikeyMike01]

The tickets are too expensive to have that kind of clientele

 

[93LEAFS]

Uh, soccer also has a very dark history of very offensive chants not even related to racism, just regional feuds and tragedies affiliated with certain teams. They also have a hooligan problem that has made it hard to draw families in.

The major reason is, the leagues don't want this type of stuff promoted, and the culture of travelling fans is much more limited (look how long it takes to go to Manchester to Liverpool, or from Arsenal homegrounds to Tottenhams). I've seen Ultra's blamed for declining attendance in Serie A (people are afraid to take their kids). In no way does any big 4 North American league want to appeal to the lowest common denominator, they want people with money driving in from the suburbs paying for parking. Most Soccer teams can't even profit off alcohol sales significantly. Add in what policing EPL games costs.

This is the fun side of it, but it gets dark and has a ton of issues under it. German officials literally would only sell English fans 2.5% beer last game vs Serbia.

 

[majormajor]

If you want that kind of crowd you'd have to allow the working class into the building.

 

[Turbonium]

Different sporting cultures. In North America its more about focusing in on the game itself. With euro soccer it's more about the vibes and being a part of the crowd (maybe more like US college football games?).

There's maybe also something to be said about soccer affording it's fans the ability to focus on their coordinated chants and songs without really worrying about missing something on the field of play...

You ever watched baseball or American football? They should be doing a full on damn musical in the stands with the lack of action on the field.

 

[Luigi Lemieux]

Hockey crowds are much richer than European soccer crowds. Rich people aren't going to act like hooligans.

 

[swiiscompos]

European soccer has an issue with hooligans, but singing and chanting has nothing to do with it.

Imagine an NHL game in which fans of one team stay silent to listen to the beautiful singing of the other team! No, I can’t imagine it, especially if the singing team is down 4-0, and yet it can be a thing in soccer, especially if the Irish are involved:

Or check Liverpool fans singing You’ll Never Walk Alone. Goosebumps! Now, I know this is proper singing and not chanting, but both are related. European teams often have a long and rich history that goes way beyond their current owners or even the league they play in. US sports feel incredibly corporate in comparison.

 

[JoVel]

North American sports has been about ripping the customer out of every possible penny as long as one can remember. Now it's not like that doesn't happen in European soccer either but it's obviously on another level in NA.

Also, a lot of the soccer teams in Europe tend to 'mean' more to the people. These teams often split people culturally, politically, sometimes even religiously. North American sports teams are at the end of the day just franchises that will cease to exist if there's no profit to be made.

Domestic European soccer teams also play games in an countries that are smaller than many US states. The biggest fans of a club will travel to every single game they play, which is not possible in the NHL unless you're rich and have nothing else going on in your life. A 'local' team to an NHL fan might mean you either drive hours to the stadium or take a short flight. Whereas in Europe you might take the metro or ride a bicycle.

In general, the fans are much much more connected to the teams.

There's maybe also something to be said about soccer affording it's fans the ability to focus on their coordinated chants and songs without really worrying about missing something on the field of play...

There are also hockey leagues in Europe where you'll find much better atmosphere than the NHL so I don't think that's the case.

 

[CanadienShark]

The tickets are too expensive to have that kind of clientele

Refs, shove your hoards of Bitcoin up your arse!

 

[swiiscompos]

There are also hockey leagues in Europe where you'll find much better atmosphere than the NHL so I don't think that's the case.

The way most European leagues work might have something to do with it. Clubs often have a very long history (my hometown club in Switzerland was founded in 1922) during which they might have been relegated and promoted several times. But there is this idea that you keep rooting for them even through the difficult years. In the NHL fans would likely ditch their team if it would be relegated to the AHL (not that it is possible).

The way contracts and salaries work also means that players are more likely to be lifers in a club. All of this creates a different sense of belonging.

 

[Macman]

Soccer fans are bored and need something to do.

 

[Reality Czech]

Because soccer is boring and fans have to chant the whole game to keep themselves awake. As an American living in Europe, I've been to quite a few sporting events and chanting and singing is just part of the culture. Seems to me that the game is secondary to the chants for some of these fans.

 

[Help]

smaller brains

 

[MetalheadPenguinsFan]

Because today’s NHL is priced only for the rich and stuffy. Or bandwagoner businesspeople looking to hobknob with clients.

The average attendee would rather sit and be on their phone than getting rowdy during the game.

Hell, if a few people actually did manage to get a rowdy/creative chant going…how long would it last before fans around them got offended??

Probably not long.

 

[BruinLVGA]

Refs you suck! f*** (fill in the blank)! (Blank) sucks!

I'm watching a documentary about the England-Italy Euro final and the English fans are singing "you can stick your twirls pasta up your arse". Now you can like it or not (I find it hilarious) but at least there's some creativity.

For North American fans, sport is almost like going to a theater show, or watching a movie. It is odd for you guys to have such high emotions that then generate all sorts of chants, trash talking, choreography, even fights and hooliganism.

For European fans, team sports are more of a tribal thing. It‘s a us vs them thing. That‘s why emotions are very high, to the point of brawls happening (sometimes involving many people at once), and fans organize themselves in fan clubs who create these chants, bring all sort of flags and banners, drums and flares, and so on.

It‘s two completely different ways of being a fan.

 

[Sad People]

Because were uncultured swine

 

[BruinLVGA]

Different sporting cultures. In North America its more about focusing in on the game itself. With euro soccer it's more about the vibes and being a part of the crowd (maybe more like US college football games?).

There's maybe also something to be said about soccer affording it's fans the ability to focus on their coordinated chants and songs without really worrying about missing something on the field of play...

It‘s not only for soccer in Europe. It‘s for all major sports teams (= where there‘s many fans involved).
Many moons ago, when most of the youngsters here weren‘t even born, I had been part of many situations where you had to fight to get your ass out of the stadium in one piece. And that was for hockey…

 

[MK9]

Refs you suck! f*** (fill in the blank)! (Blank) sucks!

I'm watching a documentary about the England-Italy Euro final and the English fans are singing "you can stick your twirls pasta up your arse". Now you can like it or not (I find it hilarious) but at least there's some creativity.

Maybe set your bar higher.

 

[Number 57]

Europeans have great chants and atmosphere at sports games. I mean Gord Miller and Mike Johnson always become wide-eyed, glee-filled children every single World Championship because of how great the Czechs fans are during the tournament. And it's kinda funny how they just treat it as a one-time thing and never for a second question why the atmosphere and experience in NA is so dull and lackluster in comparison.

They just kinda go ''wow isn't it great how fun the fans are, how amazing the city is and how nice the beer gardens feel'' and then they just come back to their boring Canada suburbs and hop in their F-150 every time they have to go to the store.

 

[Section 104]

Soccer is more boring than watching paint dry. The people foolish enough to pay money for it have to think of something.

Besides, soccer is the only sport that caused a war.

 

[Rob Brown]

Refs you suck! f*** (fill in the blank)! (Blank) sucks!

Ah yeah, the classic ref you suck chant after a totally legitimate penalty call lol.

 

[NyQuil]

There is singing, but it's usually songs like "The Good Old Hockey Game", "Country Roads" or "Sweet Caroline" (which the English football team inspires as well for some reason).

There is chanting, but it's simple and easy to learn. (usually "Let's go X" or "Go X go").

Occasionally you'll get a slightly more creative "Player X is better" or something like that.

Just not as elaborate as what they come up with overseas.

 

[rojac]

Personally, I would find that kind of continuous chanting to be annoying as hell if I was watching a game. It feels like the fans trying to make themselves the show instead of the game being the show.