"Roma, Roma, Roma / core de sta citta / unico grande amore / de tanta e tanta gente / che fai sospira / Roma, Roma, Roma...."
After the introduction of the AS Roma team, their devoted and faithful (some might call fanatical) fans filled the Stadio Olimpico with the melodious anthem (excerpted above) for the maroon, yellow, and white, the colors of the AS Roma club. Sitting in amazing seats, we were treated to a fantastic show of play by the visiting team Juventus. Anchored by the Italian National Team goalie, Buffon, Juventus dominated AS Roma who only found the back of Buffon’s net once in the second half off a corner kick. This lackluster showing by the home team did not dim the spirit of the loyal Roma supporters in the "curva" who continued to wave flags and chant for the entire game. This was truly a night to remember. From the crammed bus ride to and from the game to hearing the volleys of chants and responses given by both sides' fans during the contest, our students reveled in the experience of seeing an Italian Football match. The cold weather did not dampen the excitement for the game nor the comments of "this is amazing" which we heard repeatedly through the night from our students who dressed in as much AS Roma gear as they could find.
Tomorrow we are off to the Forum and the Colosseum to examine the ancient arena of sport and politics all while dodging runners looking and hoping to finish the 26.2 miles of the Rome Marathon. It looks to be a great final day of our adventure.
Mr. Newman and Mr. Fletcher-Thank you both so much for getting our group the soccer game tickets. I know it was a pain and a hassle to physically get the tickets, but we all appreciate the work and time spent on getting them. I truly had an unbelievable time there. The football (soccer) game was definitely one of the main highlights of the trip. It was insane. I thought that Americans got a little crazy over college or professional football games but no, not even close to how intense the Italian people get with their soccer games. Between the enormous flags and banners, the singing insults, the flares, the fights, and the cheers and screams from the crowds, the Italians definitely beat us when it comes to team spirit.
ReplyDeleteWhat was also interesting was comparing the basketball games in the States to the soccer games in Italy. At the CAVS games here, there is hardly any basketball even played. The majority of the time spent at one CAVS game is spent watching random videos, the "fan cam", random performers, games that interact with the crowds, and just about everything that does not relate with basketball. At the AS Roma game, there was no extra entertainment provided. When the soccer players were playing, the stadium was almost silent. everyone was tentatively watching the game. When a referee made a bad call, the stands went crazy with screams and shouts. It was truly an amazing and different experience i will never forget. Thank you both again for making the game possible!!!
~Anna