The controversy over the noise of the vuvuzelas at the 2010 FIFA World Cup brings into focus the influence of sporting crowds.
The Ryder Cup War on the Shore and The Battle of Brookline
Golf used to be the gentleman’s game, but the Ryder Cup in the 90s changed all of that. American player Corey Pavin sported combat gear to stoke up feelings at Kiawah island in what was dubbed: “The War on the Shore”. Brookline 1999 saw the tournament sink to new levels of unruliness. Players were cursed, Mark James’ wife was spat at, and an American caddying for Sergio Garcia was beaten up.
Indian Cricket Crowds Burn Effigies
The Indian cricket fan has a history of volatility. Effigies of Mohammed Azharuddin were burnt after India conceded the 1996 World Cup semi-final to Pakistan in Calcutta. In 1999 after defeat to Pakistan in Calcutta, the stadium was emptied by baton-wielding police after Sachin Tendulkar was controversially run out. In 2006, trouble flared in Guhawati after the umpires deemed the pitch too wet for a one-day international against England. Some battled with the police and threw bricks onto the outfield, prompting police to fire tear gas into the crowd and at least 12 were injured.
