Like a good Argentine, my life seems on its way to being consumed by futbol. I'm not a huge soccer fan at all, and I've pretty much never played the game before, but of course that was bound to change the moment I stepped into this country. Every Sunday the program organizes a soccer game with program students and some Argentines and though I suck at soccer, running around getting completely pwned by people that are barely even trying is oddly fun. Who knows, maybe by going every week I'll pick up some tips and become beast by the time I get back to the states.
Also, yesterday we went to a watch River Plate vs. Tigre at el Monumental, Rivers home and what's considered to be the national stadium of Argentina. I'm not gonna lie, I was bored most of the game. I was sitting there, surrounded by thousands of crazy futbol fans and the most interesting part in my opinion were all the cheers and playing jewel quest (a ridiculously addictive game that most of us extranjeros have on the very cheap phone we all bought). However, my whole outlook on futbol changed in the 91st minute when River scored and the entire stadium went absolutely MAD.
I never understood the appeal of soccer, they run around for hours and no one ever scores, but w/ that goal I kind of realized that what to me seemed asinine is actually the whole point of the game. The goals that are scored are worth a thousand times more than the ones in basketball or american football because they have to work sooo much harder for it.
I wish I could accurately describe the madness in that stadium when River scored. It was like nothing I've ever seen before. I really wish I had brought my flip camera, but I of course didn't because I've heard soccer games are like pick pocket prime time and the chances of you walking out w/ everything that you came in with are slim to none ( however, we got seats in a nicer section to avoid most of the crime and didn't have any problems, so I'm thinking I might bring it next time. Even if it gets stolen it doesn't really matter because there's really no point of having it unless I'm gonna use it).
So anyway, I'll have to rely on this shitty youtube video that someone else took to give you guys an idea of the madness that ensued. Beware of motion sickness.
I'm proud to say I was much closer than this guy. The exchange rate really works in our favor for football tickets. 60 peso tickets in the lower level= about 15 bucks.
River and Boca Jrs. are the two main futbol clubs here, w/ about 70% of Argentines supporting one of the two. They're huge rivals and since River was the first soccer game I ever went to and the turning point in my appreciation for the sport (and they have better colors) I'm thinking I'm gonna be a River fan. I'll have to wait until I go to a Boca game to say for sure though, but my host family are Boca fans so this could become interesting. I wonder if they make a River/Boca version of those UNC/Duke "a house divided" flags.
No matter which I end up supporting, I'm hoping I can get tickets to the Superclasico, the game where they play each other, which is supposed to be AMAZING and is on the Observers "50 sporting things you must do before you die" list, but even with the great exchange rate I doubt I'd have the money or the luck to score one of those tickets.
In other futbol news, Diego Maradona is mentioned EVERY day in this country. I'm ashamed to say that I didn't know who he was when I first got here, but now I am well versed in his entire life story. You should really see the news headlines. "Maradona visits Chavez" "Maradona gets fired" "Maradona takes a piss." I hear more about Maradona then I do about the president.
Anyway, that is all for now. Chau loves!
P.S. The title of this blog is a piece from the chant they're singing in the video, it just says lets go millionaires (they're nickname given to them after they made some VERY expensive trades in the past and based on the fact that many of their fans are upper class while Boca has much more fans in the poorer classes). It's my favorite chant along with one that goes "mira, mira, mira, sacale una foto, se van para avellaneda/la boca/rosario(or wherever opposing the team is based) con el culo roto" aka "look, look, look, take a photo they're returning to (wherever the opposing team is based) with a broken ass"
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