Why do competitive sports and games elicit so much violence from their fans?

There was riots in Vancouver years before when Vancouver lost the hockey playoffs. They had to shut down the subways. This in a nation mostly considered calm; Canada. Couple that, Vancouver has one of the lowest violent crime rates in Canada, but they lose the playoffs; havoc and mayhem? What for?

I was just thinking about that. And the answer is I have no idea. Identifying so closely to athletes competing, while you're nothing more than a passive observer, is nonsensical to me. In the U.S. there might be a fight in the stands by drunk idiots but soccer overseas is a completely differently animal. It's the only sport that consistently has the type of outcomes like in Indonesia. What the U.S. excels in are "celebrations" that result in huge property damage. Anyone caught up in mob mentality, over something they had nothing to do with, is emotionally weak. I'll never understand it.

It's sad...but I think it's mostly due to lack of awareness of the collective...that said I've seen a lot of friends at my gym reach a fit level and the male ego takes over.... At that point they shun all feminine energy within because the ego is too big...the alpha thing...it's male energy can be selfish. Most sports competitive nature brings out this alpha energy. The thing is the divine duality needs of the compassion and love from the feminine energy too, so that's en example of the importance of this balance and importance of humbleness.

Some people use sports teams as a symbol to express their feelings. Examples would be how once the Barcelona supporters were very aggressive against Real Madrid supporters where the latent cause was that Catalonians weren't taught/allowed to speak that language in Catalonian region of Spain.
Then there was a movie about a cricket match in india, set in 19th century where some indian villagers played the game against their British rulers.

So the emotions associated with these games are probably more than just sports. It's an expression of many other things just like how artists express all their turmoil through healthy means (art) but sometimes it does not remain healthy and the means of expression shifts.

I suppose the real question is how can we escape this sad sad condition isn't it? And I wish we were not so touchy-feely-crazy Kind of people but we are. 😂
In a world where we fight over so many small things, there definitely is an end of the spectrum where we kill over small things lol and that's terrifying and meaningless even but as isolated events, perhaps fascinating too

I think the reason lies in groupism. When they get the power of similar ill minded people with an advantage to not getting identified, accused & arrested individually, the devil inside them is free to act.

All the moral & civility was just because of the social & legal fear. The inside reality gets exposed.

Why do people identify with a political ideology to the point that they engage in violence?

Why do people engage in religious practice to the point that they engage in violence?

Is there a difference between these and people who are violent over sports?

It is just an extreme form of tribalism: you have no choice as to race, ethnicity, (or to a lesser extent the country, religion) you are born into, but you pretty much choose the sports team you root for. So those who tend to become intolerant, rabid believers in "my way is the only true way", are even more so.

It is incredible how the herd gets worked up into a violent stampede. Perhaps we ought to take note of this and cool down the political rhetoric a bit,?

its adrenaline, colloseum. it builds on all frustration put people into camps and such.

its the closest you'll get to our most animalistic ways that is not sex.

That's something I've wondered since early childhood and I think the main reason why I've never had any interest in team sports; I appreciate there are other aspects, like the development of social co-operation. There may be an analogy with nationalism and more obviously racism. Violence is wrong except in clear self-defence and defence of loved ones or those who are definitely the victims.

Disgusting, that whole behavior. Too bad they didn't care that much about real important issues.

Sports is basically a religion for some people.

Strains my mind to realize a football match is collectively more dangerous to life than a widespread hurricane.

Pea brains.

Group think? Same as primitive men going to war. Funny once you stop watching sports for a while, you start seeing it as silly and ridiculous.

Its misdirected internal anger.. its a very long answer.. but youll find the core of it in the roman gladiatorial games and how they were used to keep the masses focused on other things and not the government and systems that control them.

I've never understood sports mania. Always seemed creepy af to me to be cheering on some other dude and use the credit for his physical prowess to lord over other people, and cuss him out when he doesn't perform

It brings out the tribalism in people. Tbh I don't understand why sports have this effect tho, it couldn't be anymore barebones, essentially they're just wearing different colors

Fan,of course is short for fanatic and in the stadium its the truest of the true believers.Many sports have an inherent violent component ....add alcohol and you have a riot

It's really just like any other war or conflict derived by prejudices. We are a violent species.

People used to gather at the arenas to see people (slaves) getting butchered, society hasn't evoved that much since there. Humanity is and will always be tribalistic at the core

People start seeing it as more than mere sports. They start identifying with it and it becomes us vs them...

Don’t forget it’s Indonesia, they don’t deal with small numbers.

The issue in the U.K had more to do with religious tensions.

the primate lurks just beneath the surface

Absence of True Sportsmanship - i.e. Team spirit.

Emotions

For me its all basic human behaviour

Humans are still barbarians for the most part, and people who like sports tend to be even moreso

I'm a huge football fan it's tragic some were murdered that has gone beyond rivalry it's turned into a war i'm shocked tbh