Futbol

A couple of weekends ago some friends and I attended our first soccer match here in Santiago. Of the two possible games to attend that day, we chose the one that was easier to get tickets for, the Colo-Colo vs. Universidad de Concepcion. Colo-Colo, named after a Mapuche Indian chief, is one of the teams in the Primera Division. This day closed out the second half of the season, and a new round will be starting up again sometime in January after a short break.
There is a ton of hype around Santiago for 3 teams, Colo-Colo, Universidad de Chile, and Universidad Catolica. You can even see the fans camped out near the metro stations with their team's flag on the ground, asking you to contribute coins so that they can buy a ticket for the upcoming game to support their team.
On this particular day, the Universidad Catolica game happening on the other side of the city was deemed the championship game. (unless they were to lose and Colo-Colo was to win, then they would have been locked at an even number of points and a 1 game tie-breaker would have been needed.)
When I told people that I was going to the game, a lot of them looked at me with a quizzical expression, since a gringa like me should proceed with a certain amount of caution and respect for the Colo-Colo. The games and fans are notoriously rowdy, and I went into it knowing that anything that wasn't a part of my body could disappear, but feeling confident that I would be with a group of friends and that we would stay far from the mayhem. Thanks to S and A for being brave enough to bring their camera and take the shots below. I'm already down one camera and wasn't willing to risk losing another.
Our adventure was suddenly all the more interesting when the subway line that goes in the direction of the stadium was closed that day due to a Metro strike. That meant we either had to take a cab or get on the micro (bus) with all of the fans. Because we were pressed for time, we opted for the cab down there and braved the micro on the way back. We were actually befriended by one of the fans who asked us when we were getting on the bus if we were sure that we "didn't want to go get something to eat at the mall first and wait a little while..." Yikes, I think that sums up what I was explaining above!

Estadio Monumental-The Black-Eyed Peas just played here too. Too bad I had to work that night!

This is what happens when the police charge the fans in their riot gear to try to get them to calm down, even more flares and fireworks!

Is it ok to jump on the bandwagon?

Ask any of my family or friends and they will tell you that I'm a sports girl, I always have been.  Maybe it's a Chicago thing, maybe it's just how I grew up.  I watch the Bears games, attend at least 8 Cubs games a year and watch a good majority of their games since my summers are work-free.  I was here for the Bulls 3-peats of the 90's and experienced the White Sox World Series of 2005.

This summer I entered into a different realm of the sporting world here in Chicago, as I was more than happy to jump on the Blackhawks bandwagon.  For many of my younger years, the Blackhawks was a successful franchise, but games were unavailable on television and attendance was poor.  My brother moved to Colorado and was a huge Avalanche fan who questioned my loyalty to our home city's team.  I always shrugged off my lack of devotion to the fact that many other Chicagoans weren't watching the games either.  Well this year both the Cubs and Sox are pretty darn bad, so I'm officially a Stanley Cup/World Cup girl.  I'm not ashamed to admit it at all.  I wasn't out buying Patrick Kane or Team USA jerseys, I have merely been enjoying the atmosphere and excitement that comes with a Stanley Cup victory and the playoff run that went along with it.  You hardcore fans can call me bandwagon, but is that such a bad thing, to have the sports fans of the city congregate at friends houses or at local establishments to support a winning team?  The Cubs have broken my heart so many times that I deserve a chance to displace my loyalty somewhere.

And as for you World Cup, a die-hard soccer fan I am not, but a supporter I am.  Thank you to my friends Meg and Javier, who encourage me to participate as a fan of the US or of Chile, my country to be, or for whatever team I may choose that day. Whatever kind of ball or puck is flying around, it's always exciting to support a team that is passionate about what they're doing.  It's inspiring for me to watch Chile and the excitement that has enveloped the country from afar.  I'm ready to pack away my Cubs jerseys in exchange for my "I Heart Chile Futbol" t-shirt. (thanks Javier) Although I will arrive in Chile upon completion of the World Cup, in my heart I will know that I got up early, wore my shirt, looked at all of the pictures, and felt the surge of pride that came with Wednesday's victory and hopefully with the games to come.