I read his book about his time in America. He was more impressed with the timing of the jets than the jets themselves. He didn't know anything about getting jets, but he knew about timing from his TV work, and getting the jets at the right time in one take blew his mind.
Those jets are from the Alabama Air National Guard . They have an air traffic controller on the ground inside the stadium talking to the pilots on the radio guiding them in by the second
I was with the painted fools group from 2006-2008 while I was attending Auburn and I distinctly remember watching Andrew Jenkins painting that AU on Stephen Fry's hand. We had no idea who he was at the time but watching this now makes me smile from ear to ear. Amazing. WAR EAGLE!
They don't do that sort of thing for even their biggest sporting league, the Premier League. The players just walk out in two straight lines, shake hands, pose for a photo, and get on with it. The only deviations are for their version of Veterans' Day when everyone wears a poppy on their uniforms. Or when someone is memorialized. They don't have marching bands or flyovers in England.
@@almattei88 It's really just an advertisement/recruiting tactic for our crazy overfunded airforce and military in general. Young people go to a game and see these cool ass jets fly overhead and then they sign up and end up greasing the tires on the things.
Stephen wasn't being derogatory, he was being adorable and honest, based on his experiences. He obviously didn't understand the magnitude of the Iron Bowl. Just imagine if he'd been at the 2013 Iron Bowl.
+Joe Smyth You miss the point. She said he doesn't understand the magnitude of the Iron Bowl specifically, not a football game in general. He equates it to "Just a local derby", but it's a bragging rights game for the whole state as they have no pro sports teams.
Not going to instigate an argument on youtube of all places. It was a suggestion of Stephen seeing American football at its finest. I have many UoA colleagues, and even though we were rivals for that game, we treat each other respectfully. Don't get upset because Auburn went and had a great season. Auburn's family isn't some machine that tries to pump out championship wins every year, and it isn't the only thing we're successful at. Auburn and UGA's swimming and equestrian teams are immensely more successful than the football programs, you can bet we're just as proud about those accomplishments bringing the SEC into popularity.
yea, that was a perfect clip to end it...hahah i dnt get how the cheering and all the band choreography is preposterous...its their to provide entertainment during halftime and spark cheer during the game. Id rather be pumped up then bored as hell. but guess he wouldnt understand since his country is use to sitting bored while watching a sports event
I love that part. He goes from teared up at 80K+ people singing the national anthem to covering his ears and whipping back to the camera, completely bewildered and awestruck. Welcome to 'Muricah
He would be like this at an English football match too - because he doesn’t get hyped about anything,.. he doesn’t believe in much beyond himself it seems...
Thank you, and Roll Tide. There are no top level professional teams in any sport in the state of Alabama. Amateur College football is big in America, but we do it bigger than anybody else.
For those of you commenting on the fly-over, American fighter jets have a certification process that they have to maintain. They have to be up a certain number of hours every year (possibly broken down by time of day; I'm sure a commenter below will verify that either way) to be certified as combat-ready by the Dept. of Defense. This includes all craft in the arsenal down to the Air National Guard. Since the "birds" have to be up in the air anyway, they coordinate with local events (sport events, public gatherings, etc.) to fly-over and provide a bit of wonder and awe at the event in question. Nearly every home football game I went to in college had one to help out the state's Air National guard and they weren't games nearly as big as the Iron Bowl is/was.
+Exhausted Elox Those are F -16 fighter jets from Maxwell Air Force base which is not far from that stadium in Auburn Alabama They were from the National Guard i think
+rbeck3200tb40 Kinda sorta: Maxwell only has C-130s (Cargo Planes), however you are correct in that they are part of the National Guard, the 187FW to be exact. The F16s operate out of Montgomery Regional Airport, which is about 5 miles, or so, away from Maxwell.
@@rozi2089 That's probably because it's to the tune of his country's National Anthem EDIT: I'm wrong here as Kyle points out below. America (My Country, 'Tis of Thee) is the same melody of God Save the Queen
Yeeeaaaaahhhh....I'm just gonna keep on going to sleep peacefully every night instead doing your suggestion. You sound incredibly angry and lacking clear focus in life, whilst zeroing in hate on a country not your own - so please don't be offended that I'm gonna go with another direction.
+Barry Hollywood another insecure Briton hating on a world power. Sad really, the vestiges of a failed empire struggling to maintain a sense of identity.
+afrosheenix Thanks for trying to fuckup other countries by pushing your shitatic TTP bill through, it's not enough you fuck yourself over you have to drag other countries into it. Thanks for trying to give the rest of the world aids.
I think that Americans can sometimes fail to understand the connection many Britons feel with America. I feel a deep affection and even patriotism for America and I welcome any American to feel the same for Britain. We belong to one another in a deep and important way.
@stuffandnonsense8528 of course we do, like when they brought down the Union Jack and watched fall to the ground and replaced it with the pride flag, It really mad me angry and sad at the same time
As someone who loves college football and follows a Premier League team in England, I've always felt that college football, more than the NFL or MLS or any other pro league, is the closest thing we have to European footy leagues. College football teams represent your town, state, region and sometimes even your religion. And the best teams have die hard fans who aren't even alumni of the school, or even taken a single class on the campus.
I agree with this comparison. The student section is like the American version of the Ultras/Hooligans. There's the marching band to play songs during the game instead of the fans behind goal singing. And unlike NFL teams, the College teams are linked to their town and can come from anywhere and aren't allowed to just move to a different market if they want a new stadium.
Yes - mother of American friend at University of Kansas told me that the big following for college sports (football and basketball) was because people felt 'it's our team' even if they never went there, more than a pro franchise that happens to be in your nearest big city.
I've seen professional basketball players retire and move back to the town they went college in. They may only play college ball for a year or 2, but they still get treated like hometown heroes. Even if they're not originally from there.
best description of college football culture I've ever heard. the excitement, atmosphere and energy of a Europe professional final, but in reality it's nothing more than college students playing a regular season game.
What Fry was missing here is the potential for any great college player to go on to an NFL career. That's the gist of why these games are important for the players.
I still consider this my most favorite outsider-looking-in perspective of the US. Stephen's take on this was really charming, and really warmed my heart taking a step back when I looked at it his way too.
It is so perfect that he is already overcome with emotion just from the stadium hoopla and singing and then the perfectly timed fighter jet flyover sends him into complete overload.
As an American watching this I just smiled so big. It made me feel warm to see an "outsiders" perspective of what is very common here. Thank you for that, Stephen. I love your work. *Edit: that moment when the jet flies over is awesome.
It's so interesting to see how something that's always been a normal part of my life looks to someone from another country. I never considered any of it unusual. Thanks for helping me see it with fresh eyes, and War Eagle!
Yeah, it's neat getting his outsider's perspective on an event I grew up with and one I share with my family now. Although, I think it would be different because they are professionals, but I'd like to how to a big Premier League soccer match between two of the London teams. Just to be in Stephen's shoes as an outsider witnessing an intense rivalry knowing nothing about it going in. It would be really cool I think
I love when he teared up while the whole astadium sang in unison "God bless America". He could really feel the love, patriotism and energy. It really is a moving experience to be in an arena and all singing in harmony. Makes the hair stand up on the back of your next and gives you goose bumps. super surreal.
For non-Americans: imagine this at a smaller scale happening at every high school across the country, lol. Nothing like watching your friends play Friday night football in the fall. I'm from a "twin cities" area, and the big rivalry game between the two cities' high schools would be held at the state university's football stadium.
Omg those vibes are amazing. The town is orange yellow and brown, you're in a sweater supporting your team, you and all your friends are cuddled up on the bleachers, maybe a little drunk, just enjoying the vibes and excitement of the game, even if you don't care about the sport. I hope you get to live it one day, falls in the north east are amazing.
@@luvkid17 I've been to Massachusetts for a fall. Didn't catch a game, but I can definitely appreciate the beauty of it. I would recommend a high school game in Texas in the late fall. November, perhaps. Late enough in they ear that you'll get nice weather and a sunset during the half-time show, the chants of the student section rumbling through the bleachers....
I didn't even go to Bama or Auburn, I'm from California and went to school in New York. But god damn do I love watching the Iron Bowl. Easily the best of what college football can be. Easily.
As someone from Connecticut who did his undergrad at Bama, and now his grad degree at bama, I have to say that there really is nothing like it in the world. You MUST check it out
Chris Davis simply not true. Especially not in this modern age of CFB. The winner of the iron bowl played for the national championship 5 years straight 09 -14. Red river is a mid season it has its own stage and Ohio State Michigan has been frankly irrelevant/boring for quite some time now. Any normal educated CFB fan would much rather sit down and watch a game with actual implications. Pretty simple actually.
there’s a special kind of joy i get from english people being impressed by america. being praised by a person from a country who laid so much of the foundation for our own country emulates in abstract the pride of impressing your own father
It is fascinating to us to see what you have been able to do. YOu certainly do well for the big spectacles but I do think that when it comes to other stuff (like healthcare), it has been neglected.
American college sports is probably something no other country in the world would understand. Big time college football and basketball trumps even major pro sports in some cases.
Rusty I was born in DC, I grew up in Florida, and now I live in Philly. Wasn't aware one of those places was British. Unless you mean I'm not a so-called "real American" because I hate sports... But that's a different point, and I can't argue on that one, 'cause it's right.
Oh, OK, cool. I wouldn't want to be a "Real American" anyway because so many of them are dicks. (Although most of them are still OK in person, just as long as you don't start talking about religion, race, or foreign policy.)
At the end of "God Bless America" he looked touched and almost tearful. Stephen, your younger American cousins have done alright. We are loud, boisterous, uncouth, warlike, proud, and often silly. But we stand with our UK ancestors, and are blessed that you came to visit. Come back anytime.
The touching display of unity and love for country in the singing of “God Bless America,” followed immediately by a deafening fly-over by F-16 fighter jets is the most American thing ever.
I love how at the end you can tell he is about to say something about how inspiring and patriotic Americans are, until the flyover when he remembers "wait, this is ridiculous"
Well, Michigan, and Ohio State have bigger stadiums by capacity than these two team's stadiums - and their fans are always selling them out; so it isn't dead in the south. Penn State, Pitt (shares their stadium with an NFL team, Pittsburg), all have rather strong football cultures here up north, comparable to Auburn here for instance [well, maybe not Pitt to Auburn, but those other ones...]. And I could give you plenty of honorable mentions up here north too, that might not be quite as strong in this hoopla, but aren't slouches either.
Just catching this great series on Netflix.....8 years late....but an incredible doc nonetheless. And I got a little weepy too after God Bless America. What a great perspective Mr. Fry. This segment reminded me what a spectacle NCAA football really is.......and Roll Tide.
This is the 2007 Iron Bowl, when Auburn beat Alabama 17-10. This was part of a show called Stephen Fry Visits America. Fry is a famous British actor and comedian. His former comedy partner was Hugh Laurie (Dr. House on tv), and he is a friend of JK Rowling and is the reader for the British versions of the Harry Potter books. Fry's father almost took at job at Princeton after WWII, but chose to stay in England. I think Fry was just trying to see what his life might have been like if his father had taken the job.
He is such a sweet ,educated and world icon. I'm very honored to have him at the iron bowl , and teach our friends across the pond about how wonderful America can be. It only thing he needed to be on the other side of they field ROLL TIDE !!!!!!!!!!!!!
From a London POV I fully understood his perspective... I always say that America is tacky and cheesy as fuh... But nobody does it like The United States of America maan! So damn Epic! An actual Eagle and fighter Jets... Come on brahh who can top that shit!!!!??
+ninjastah At the NASCAR car race at Talladega Alabama a few hours drive from this stadium they had a B 2 stealth bomber fly over the race track its about 10 times bigger than this stadium .You guys have no idea how big this football game is in Alabama Every year during this game in the towns and cities of Alabama if you go to the malls or anywhere it is desolate with no one around. they are all watchign the game on tv Its really weird.
+rbeck3200tb40 Yeah, this is literally the biggest thing that happens all year in the state. It's a bit out of proportion to compare this to any other game, even among most other state rivalries and even some of the bowl games.
As an Auburn alumni and a previous member of the Auburn University Marching Band, I'm glad that my school, my band, my family, brought Stephen Fry to tears.
He's such a distinguished gentleman. He sees things so clearly and is always so well spoken when he sums things up. He's the best of britain experiencing the best of america, including the jet fighters. The air force loves to show off.
I'm from London but lived in Alabama for four years (Owens Cross Roads and Huntsville). I vividly remember the Auburn vs Alabama game and its thousands of accompanying bumper stickers...
The University of Nebraska has the longest sellout streak in NCAA history, and I would say college football is pretty damned big in the midwest. But all the travelling sportcasters who see college football all over the country insist it is king in the South. Who am I to argue?
Brian Fantana Come on man, Alabama has the most. Particularly in recent years, the SEC has dominated the national scene. Get ready for an all-SEC final this year.
Bob Papadopoulos Irrelevant? I was demonstrating that one of the great American figures was, in fact, born in England. This isn't irrelevant in the slightest, and actually couldn't be more salient, cogent and significant as you were essentially boasting about the greatness of the US (something I happen to agree with, on certain issues anyhow)
Most adults that graduated from university in Alabama probably went to either Alabama or Auburn. Also, they are southerners, so their love of gridiron is enormous. And both teams have won national titles.
What a vivid expression of heartlander culture; reminds me of my high school. In small towns all throughout the heartland, the local high school football team is one of the most important things in town. Many of the kids on those teams are only able to go to college by getting a sports scholarship to a state university. This makes all the small towns extremely invested in the state's college football teams, and their games are huge events for the locals.
I’m an American and this makes me overwhelmed. I went to a college football game just once in my life and was in misery the whole time. Glad y’all have fun though.
The sitting in the stadium part is the worst of it. Going solo, without a tailgate party or dorm/apartment as a home base just makes it a lot of exhaustion and overpriced food.
The producers for this show were on-point with the music selection. The bit at the beginning is the theme to Alien, which is a perfect metaphor for Steve at that game.
Loved watching his America series. Football back East is insane. But watching Rivalry schools, takes it to another level. I'm from Washington State and sad to see that Stephen only could show a tiny, TINY, piece of all the different states.
+zh11147 Number 1 versus Number 4, Auburn rebounding from one of its worst seasons in school history, going into a rivalry game having only lost one game. The opponent, Alabama, hadn't lost a game in two years. Score was tied 28-28 at the end of regulation, but Alabama's coach was able to review the play and get one second put back on. They tried a 56 yard field goal, which missed and an Auburn player ran it back 109 yards to win. It was....glorious
jej3451 he ran the missed field goal back. He ran it back 109 yards they’re not gonna keep them off the field tonight. Holy cow. Oh my God Auburn wins. Auburn has won the iron bowl in the most unbelievable fashion you will ever see. And we thought a miracle in Jordan hare was amazing. Oh my lord in heaven. Chris davis.
I watched most of the series that this clip is from, where he traveled across the whole country to learn about us and our culture. He seems like such a gracious visitor. It is easy for us, as Americans, to go to our favorite events and get caught up in the magic of it all because it is our culture and we take it very personally. To see someone from another country get swept up in the same spirit because he enjoys seeing everybody else enjoy themselves - that is something very cool to see.
Within the first few moments of realizing the tone of the clip, I literally kept thinking, "if there's a flyover, this guy is gonna lose it." Did not disappoint
+Brass 'n Barrels Firearms Channel So glad i'm british not american. You have no real culture, a history that extends back only about 200 years, and are generally hated around the world for being brash and ignorant
Oh Stephen, dear Stephen. My sweet, sweet, summer child... One of the most underrated minds of comedy. A Bit of Fry and Laurie and QI reruns are some of the most entertaining tv I've ever watched.
We do flyovers in the UK as well BTW. It might shock you that Stephen doesn't attend many sporting events. Flyovers are a really good way for pilots to work precision and timing. the RAF always welcome the opportunity as the USAF/USN obviously do.
“One of the things I came away from was if you were to say in Britain ‘Only in Britain,’ it would mean something to do with queuing misery, grayness, bureaucracy, waiting, inefficiency, a dullness of spirit. If you say ‘Only in America,’ it means something daring, dazzling, original, weird, often mad, someone trying to fly by jumping off a building or walking across a tightrope between skyscrapers or something really out there, and it’s a positive thing, whereas in Britain, it’s a negative thing. And that’s what I came away with,” he said. “That game exemplified that yes, it’s preposterous that for kids, students who should be learning Socrates and mathematics and there they are, being more professional in their sport than most professionals in Europe are. It’s the hoopla, the marching band… and the painting of their faces and the release of an eagle and a jet flying overhead. It’s mad and the hoopla is insane, but my God, it’s wonderful. It makes goosebumps rise on your flesh and you feel a privilege to be a part of it. And that is the great American paradox, I think. It’s the great the mix of madness and brilliance and the excess, which has a glory to it. And I think most of us, if we’re honest, envy you. That is part of your national identity to call on.”
+Olof Persson Watch Steven fry's documentary abotu traveling through America its very very good thats what this video clip was from i think its on youtube
Lol, I know what you mean. :D Ive read a lot of anti-American comments from jealous outsiders raging against us like they're obsessed with us or something. Meanwhile, we're just over here living our lives ;) Anyway, Steven Fry did a good job on this documentary, and it's nice to see him experiencing our country and culture(s) of all our different regions and finding the beauty in it all...
I think it means something that he went to a college football game particularly an SEC one to introduce football to a foreign audience. This is the purest american football experience you could get
Do you realize how much it would cost to show game footage.... the NCAA and NFL and other sports groups sale their contracts strictly to channels for millions and billions of dollars... only news organizations are aloud to show game footage because they are not making a profit off of it .... everyone has heard the disclaimers about doing any thing without the express written consent of the NFL etc, etc.... seriously it would never happen and if they did it would cost extreme amounts of money to show game footage, have you ever seen any documentary not made by a major sports channel show game footage, especially of football?
Zachary Smith This isn’t true. Those restrictions only apply to the official broadcast footage. Anyone can record the game (as many do take clips with smartphones). The subject of the documentary is the American people and it’s culture though, not football. So the camera crews were focused on the pageantry and the fans instead. They could have filmed parts of the game if they wanted to.
glich86 I'm born Irish and moved to the southern US when I was 9, so I'm pretty accustomed to North American living, but I've traveled all over the place. That said, I went to the Grey Cup a couple years ago and it was, to me at least, the single most bizarre thing I've ever been to. Every team's fans showed up instead of just the two playing, the halftime show was all Canadian bands, all the advertising was Canadian marques... It was like eating McDonalds in Japan or something: all the ingredients were the same, but just "off" to me.
its different. american sports work because they are in america. i went to a baseball game which i know isnt the same as american football. but it all seemed very friendly i saw a dodgers fan sat with yankee fans and i was confused. i said to the americans i was with "should he be here and why is noone giving him grief or taking the piss". its seems far less tribal in america and far more family orientated. hurling abuse didnt seem the done thing. america just seemed far more civilised.
+bulldogsbob yeah we have that here as well. but swearing and tormenting the opposite fans and players is just considered normal. i know for a fact alot of football (soccer) fans ,including myself become very obnoxious when watching my team play. its just different. soccer support is raw, humorous, spiteful, offensive, emotional. american sports support is family orientated, choreographed, industrial, clean, enjoyable. its different and i think its different because in american sports there is nothing to lose. ie no such thing as relegation.
tom fluff Soccer teams in general are not just sport but are often outlets to region,religious,ethnic and economic historical hatreds so it's not the sport itself as it is an outlet to old hate. You mentioned a Dodgers game well for long time it was know as a hotbed for gang bangers until management cracked down on it. Plus the Dodgers don't play the Yankees often but they have stabbed Giants fans in the past The kind of things ultras do would NEVER be allowed here in the States.
We have drunk idiotic fans who yell at other fans, but we kick them out of the stadium. This is about having fun, watching a game you love, not being harassed by idiots. People need to be civil and we enforce that.
This is like a nature documentary about American culture.
LMAO. I love how proper Stephen is around all of us Yankee hooligans.
It literally is. This is from a larger series where Stephen Fry travels all across America learning its cultures and history
@@leviticuscornwall9631 cool
@Cian MacGana Prob cause you harass your players if they miss a shot
@Cian MacGana yeah right lol stfu abt soccer
I read his book about his time in America. He was more impressed with the timing of the jets than the jets themselves. He didn't know anything about getting jets, but he knew about timing from his TV work, and getting the jets at the right time in one take blew his mind.
Those jets are from the Alabama Air National Guard . They have an air traffic controller on the ground inside the stadium talking to the pilots on the radio guiding them in by the second
How they coordinate the flyovers:
czcams.com/video/P7Gogms-EP4/video.html
😁
Alright, Stephen Fry might be dumb you guys.
@@danfontaine8179 Yeah, tell yourself that.
@@peterw.4833 Thanks! That´s pretty impressive in and of itself. You Yankees don´t fool around when it comes to showbiz...
An actual real life example of 'the european mind cannot comprehend this'
I was with the painted fools group from 2006-2008 while I was attending Auburn and I distinctly remember watching Andrew Jenkins painting that AU on Stephen Fry's hand. We had no idea who he was at the time but watching this now makes me smile from ear to ear. Amazing. WAR EAGLE!
I watch this video like once a year and you guys are one of my favorite parts.
Be honest how hammered were y’all at the time lol
@@leviticuscornwall9631 We were pretty trashed by the end of the game lmao
Looks like you made an old queen very happy...
@@TheTmullany1That feels like a reference to something.
That face at the end: "Holy shit, did they just have jets fly over a football game?"
They don't do that sort of thing for even their biggest sporting league, the Premier League. The players just walk out in two straight lines, shake hands, pose for a photo, and get on with it.
The only deviations are for their version of Veterans' Day when everyone wears a poppy on their uniforms. Or when someone is memorialized. They don't have marching bands or flyovers in England.
@@almattei88 It's really just an advertisement/recruiting tactic for our crazy overfunded airforce and military in general. Young people go to a game and see these cool ass jets fly overhead and then they sign up and end up greasing the tires on the things.
HeadInTheCloudsPro it’s mostly pr not recruiting and I’m fine with it
Yeah it's ridiculous and that's why 90% of us can't believe it
HeadInTheCloudsPro It's so the pilots can get training hours...
Stephen wasn't being derogatory, he was being adorable and honest, based on his experiences. He obviously didn't understand the magnitude of the Iron Bowl. Just imagine if he'd been at the 2013 Iron Bowl.
+malteseheart I would argue he does understand Football for them (soccer for us) is just as huge and over the top in a lot of the same ways.
+Joe Smyth You miss the point. She said he doesn't understand the magnitude of the Iron Bowl specifically, not a football game in general. He equates it to "Just a local derby", but it's a bragging rights game for the whole state as they have no pro sports teams.
I was in the Auburn band at the 2013 Iron Bowl. That game would've been perfect for this feature.
jsut872 Yea, so he could watch the beginning of the end of the SEC's national championship streak, thanks to the war seagulls.
Not going to instigate an argument on youtube of all places. It was a suggestion of Stephen seeing American football at its finest. I have many UoA colleagues, and even though we were rivals for that game, we treat each other respectfully. Don't get upset because Auburn went and had a great season. Auburn's family isn't some machine that tries to pump out championship wins every year, and it isn't the only thing we're successful at. Auburn and UGA's swimming and equestrian teams are immensely more successful than the football programs, you can bet we're just as proud about those accomplishments bringing the SEC into popularity.
My favorite part is when he's covering his ears and the two camera men in the background are hi fiving and jumping up and down because of the jets.
yea, that was a perfect clip to end it...hahah i dnt get how the cheering and all the band choreography is preposterous...its their to provide entertainment during halftime and spark cheer during the game. Id rather be pumped up then bored as hell. but guess he wouldnt understand since his country is use to sitting bored while watching a sports event
I love that part. He goes from teared up at 80K+ people singing the national anthem to covering his ears and whipping back to the camera, completely bewildered and awestruck. Welcome to 'Muricah
He would be like this at an English football match too - because he doesn’t get hyped about anything,.. he doesn’t believe in much beyond himself it seems...
@@The_King_Ginger God Bless America isn't the national anthem, bro.
@@kevinhansen1943 it also isn't that deep and doesn't change the overall message in the comment, bro.
But also, good catch.
This is an absolutely fascinating ousiders view of college football
There wasn't a whole lot of football in it, it was primarily just about football culture.
@@Alan.Endicott everyone gets football but not everyone gets the culture associated with it
War damn eagle.
Thank you, and Roll Tide. There are no top level professional teams in any sport in the state of Alabama. Amateur College football is big in America, but we do it bigger than anybody else.
It's cool that you love it so much but also like he said very weird and ridiculous.
For those of you commenting on the fly-over, American fighter jets have a certification process that they have to maintain. They have to be up a certain number of hours every year (possibly broken down by time of day; I'm sure a commenter below will verify that either way) to be certified as combat-ready by the Dept. of Defense. This includes all craft in the arsenal down to the Air National Guard. Since the "birds" have to be up in the air anyway, they coordinate with local events (sport events, public gatherings, etc.) to fly-over and provide a bit of wonder and awe at the event in question. Nearly every home football game I went to in college had one to help out the state's Air National guard and they weren't games nearly as big as the Iron Bowl is/was.
+Exhausted Elox thank you for explaining that! I've always wondered how these flyovers were okayed by the air force!
+Mar Mai do other countries think the the football companies have their own military and n
fighter jets to fly around for events? Lol
+Exhausted Elox Those are F -16 fighter jets from Maxwell Air Force base which is not far from that stadium in Auburn Alabama They were from the National Guard i think
+cholrus69 LOL I don't know XD I'm an American and did not know how it was coordinated. It's nice to have the facts :D
+rbeck3200tb40
Kinda sorta:
Maxwell only has C-130s (Cargo Planes), however you are correct in that they are part of the National Guard, the 187FW to be exact. The F16s operate out of Montgomery Regional Airport, which is about 5 miles, or so, away from Maxwell.
He cried during 'God Bless America' 2:47...Mission Accomplished.
I noticed that. That's pretty awesome. I got teary eyed too lol.
@@rozi2089 That's probably because it's to the tune of his country's National Anthem
EDIT: I'm wrong here as Kyle points out below. America (My Country, 'Tis of Thee) is the same melody of God Save the Queen
@@TychoBrahe812 Possibly.
@Evan Reborn 2 eh gov you an Englishman, are you?
@@TychoBrahe812 it's does not. America The Beautiful does
Fry couldn't have picked a more American venue.
War Damn Eagle.
Roll Tide!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I think UT vs Bama in Neyland Satdium, if UT was still good, would have been an equally good one to go to
Hey, Ulysses, I think that wax in your ears is affecting your brain.
"American"
His description of America is absolutely beautiful. We are absurd, but i couldn't be more proud. I'm glad Mr. Fry got to experience it.
Yeeeaaaaahhhh....I'm just gonna keep on going to sleep peacefully every night instead doing your suggestion. You sound incredibly angry and lacking clear focus in life, whilst zeroing in hate on a country not your own - so please don't be offended that I'm gonna go with another direction.
+Barry Hollywood another insecure Briton hating on a world power. Sad really, the vestiges of a failed empire struggling to maintain a sense of identity.
+afrosheenix Thanks for trying to fuckup other countries by pushing your shitatic TTP bill through, it's not enough you fuck yourself over you have to drag other countries into it. Thanks for trying to give the rest of the world aids.
Did you really just reference the TTP bill in an arbitrary youtube comment thread from most of a month ago? Go outside.
***** Did you really fail to use the reply button in an easy to understand tardproof interface? Go back to highschool.
I love that he gets teary-eyed during God Bless America. Feeling the love in a giant crowd like that can overpower anyone.
80,000 people singing almost anything would overpower me.
I think that Americans can sometimes fail to understand the connection many Britons feel with America. I feel a deep affection and even patriotism for America and I welcome any American to feel the same for Britain. We belong to one another in a deep and important way.
@stuffandnonsense8528 of course we do, like when they brought down the Union Jack and watched fall to the ground and replaced it with the pride flag, It really mad me angry and sad at the same time
@@stuffandnonsense8528we are essentially family. There have never been 2 countries with the kind of relationship that we have. It's oddly beautiful.
@@brandocalrissian3294american exceptionalism strikes again...take a history lesson.
As someone who loves college football and follows a Premier League team in England, I've always felt that college football, more than the NFL or MLS or any other pro league, is the closest thing we have to European footy leagues. College football teams represent your town, state, region and sometimes even your religion. And the best teams have die hard fans who aren't even alumni of the school, or even taken a single class on the campus.
Reminds me of a great joke. What do Alabama and Auburn football fans have in common? Neither of them graduated from the University of Alabama.
I agree with this comparison. The student section is like the American version of the Ultras/Hooligans. There's the marching band to play songs during the game instead of the fans behind goal singing. And unlike NFL teams, the College teams are linked to their town and can come from anywhere and aren't allowed to just move to a different market if they want a new stadium.
Yes - mother of American friend at University of Kansas told me that the big following for college sports (football and basketball) was because people felt 'it's our team' even if they never went there, more than a pro franchise that happens to be in your nearest big city.
I've seen professional basketball players retire and move back to the town they went college in. They may only play college ball for a year or 2, but they still get treated like hometown heroes. Even if they're not originally from there.
Cool perspective
best description of college football culture I've ever heard. the excitement, atmosphere and energy of a Europe professional final, but in reality it's nothing more than college students playing a regular season game.
What Fry was missing here is the potential for any great college player to go on to an NFL career. That's the gist of why these games are important for the players.
I still consider this my most favorite outsider-looking-in perspective of the US. Stephen's take on this was really charming, and really warmed my heart taking a step back when I looked at it his way too.
It is so perfect that he is already overcome with emotion just from the stadium hoopla and singing and then the perfectly timed fighter jet flyover sends him into complete overload.
As an American watching this I just smiled so big. It made me feel warm to see an "outsiders" perspective of what is very common here. Thank you for that, Stephen. I love your work. *Edit: that moment when the jet flies over is awesome.
It's so interesting to see how something that's always been a normal part of my life looks to someone from another country. I never considered any of it unusual. Thanks for helping me see it with fresh eyes, and War Eagle!
Yeah, it's neat getting his outsider's perspective on an event I grew up with and one I share with my family now. Although, I think it would be different because they are professionals, but I'd like to how to a big Premier League soccer match between two of the London teams. Just to be in Stephen's shoes as an outsider witnessing an intense rivalry knowing nothing about it going in. It would be really cool I think
Super late to the party...but just the other day I had to try to explain the SEC experience to people who are American too.
@@boddaboom77 fascinating country America , it’s enormous compared to the size of us guys over here in the UK!
I love when he teared up while the whole astadium sang in unison "God bless America". He could really feel the love, patriotism and energy. It really is a moving experience to be in an arena and all singing in harmony. Makes the hair stand up on the back of your next and gives you goose bumps. super surreal.
Kind of vile
@@RonkleBonkbruh
It looks like a fucking nightmare
Yo what's with all of this negativity??
@@gallowglass3764 Americans make people nauseous
For non-Americans: imagine this at a smaller scale happening at every high school across the country, lol. Nothing like watching your friends play Friday night football in the fall. I'm from a "twin cities" area, and the big rivalry game between the two cities' high schools would be held at the state university's football stadium.
Omg those vibes are amazing. The town is orange yellow and brown, you're in a sweater supporting your team, you and all your friends are cuddled up on the bleachers, maybe a little drunk, just enjoying the vibes and excitement of the game, even if you don't care about the sport. I hope you get to live it one day, falls in the north east are amazing.
@@luvkid17 I've been to Massachusetts for a fall. Didn't catch a game, but I can definitely appreciate the beauty of it. I would recommend a high school game in Texas in the late fall. November, perhaps. Late enough in they ear that you'll get nice weather and a sunset during the half-time show, the chants of the student section rumbling through the bleachers....
@Asterius It's incredible! Especially when it's all of your good friends on the team it really brings out everyone's school spirit.
@Asterius football is Boston is the last place you would want to pick to watch football. Try any southern state. Take your pick
I’m from the northeast US and our state universities don’t even have full football stadiums. They have big grandstands but not wraparound stadiums.
I didn't even go to Bama or Auburn, I'm from California and went to school in New York. But god damn do I love watching the Iron Bowl. Easily the best of what college football can be. Easily.
And how people could even try to argue any other college football “rivalry” is impeccable. War damn eagle
As someone from Connecticut who did his undergrad at Bama, and now his grad degree at bama, I have to say that there really is nothing like it in the world. You MUST check it out
I'm a crazy wacko liberal from California, but I'd love to attend an Iron Bowl game. They look awesome!
@@EdDunkle student section or nothing. No better way to do it
Chris Davis simply not true. Especially not in this modern age of CFB. The winner of the iron bowl played for the national championship 5 years straight 09 -14. Red river is a mid season it has its own stage and Ohio State Michigan has been frankly irrelevant/boring for quite some time now. Any normal educated CFB fan would much rather sit down and watch a game with actual implications. Pretty simple actually.
there’s a special kind of joy i get from english people being impressed by america. being praised by a person from a country who laid so much of the foundation for our own country emulates in abstract the pride of impressing your own father
It is fascinating to us to see what you have been able to do. YOu certainly do well for the big spectacles but I do think that when it comes to other stuff (like healthcare), it has been neglected.
American college sports is probably something no other country in the world would understand. Big time college football and basketball trumps even major pro sports in some cases.
I'm American, and I don't get it. (But then again, I don't like sports in general.)
+C.S. Jones You are not American.
Rusty I was born in DC, I grew up in Florida, and now I live in Philly. Wasn't aware one of those places was British.
Unless you mean I'm not a so-called "real American" because I hate sports... But that's a different point, and I can't argue on that one, 'cause it's right.
+C.S. Jones Its what I was implying. I jest.
Oh, OK, cool. I wouldn't want to be a "Real American" anyway because so many of them are dicks. (Although most of them are still OK in person, just as long as you don't start talking about religion, race, or foreign policy.)
I think the two guys high-fiving in the background while he held his ears at the end was a nice touch.
U.K.: "Any job worth doing is worth doing well." U.S.A. "If yer gonna do it, do it BIG."
At the end of "God Bless America" he looked touched and almost tearful. Stephen, your younger American cousins have done alright. We are loud, boisterous, uncouth, warlike, proud, and often silly. But we stand with our UK ancestors, and are blessed that you came to visit. Come back anytime.
@@reecemorton4786 You really added value to the statement there. Well done you.
The touching display of unity and love for country in the singing of “God Bless America,” followed immediately by a deafening fly-over by F-16 fighter jets is the most American thing ever.
I love how at the end you can tell he is about to say something about how inspiring and patriotic Americans are, until the flyover when he remembers "wait, this is ridiculous"
no it leave him speechless
hahah the look on his face as the jets flew by is wonderful
I love the expression at the end. He is like " Seriously.... am I in a lucid dream?"
So glad he was honest and not patronizing. Honor to have your viewpoint, Brit.
At the end his face: 'did they seriously get a jet to fly over for this shit?'
No...they got four.
That flyover at the end makes me so proud and happy. Thank you for sharing this. 🙂
It's the South. Football is SERIOUS business in the South.
JohnnyWishbone85 it also was Alabama vs Auburn I mean come on that’s one of the biggest games in the country
@@sadak163 the biggest
Yes only in the south😒
Well, Michigan, and Ohio State have bigger stadiums by capacity than these two team's stadiums - and their fans are always selling them out; so it isn't dead in the south. Penn State, Pitt (shares their stadium with an NFL team, Pittsburg), all have rather strong football cultures here up north, comparable to Auburn here for instance [well, maybe not Pitt to Auburn, but those other ones...]. And I could give you plenty of honorable mentions up here north too, that might not be quite as strong in this hoopla, but aren't slouches either.
Until they get to the pro level then they suuuuuuck
I've never been more proud of the flag of my home state Ohio than billowing over Fry's moved and amazed expression after the anthem & flyover.
i just luv stephen fry. he is so tender hearted. god bless america and the uk
Just catching this great series on Netflix.....8 years late....but an incredible doc nonetheless. And I got a little weepy too after God Bless America.
What a great perspective Mr. Fry. This segment reminded me what a spectacle NCAA football really is.......and Roll Tide.
Damn I'm 13 years late 😆
Lmfao I love that they used the Alien soundtrack in the beginning there, as though the Iron Bowl was equivalent to LV-426
I am British and my girlfriend is from Huntsville and this weekend she took me to my first Auburn game... It was amazing!!! WAR DAMN EAGLE!!!
Did you marry her?
We must know! Did you get hitched???
I loved Stephen Fry's reaction to the jets flying over the stadium.
This is the 2007 Iron Bowl, when Auburn beat Alabama 17-10. This was part of a show called Stephen Fry Visits America. Fry is a famous British actor and comedian. His former comedy partner was Hugh Laurie (Dr. House on tv), and he is a friend of JK Rowling and is the reader for the British versions of the Harry Potter books. Fry's father almost took at job at Princeton after WWII, but chose to stay in England. I think Fry was just trying to see what his life might have been like if his father had taken the job.
He's a heck of an actor. Was on my fav show Bones for a while
If this wasn’t nine years old I’d guess an AI wrote it
He is such a sweet ,educated and world icon. I'm very honored to have him at the iron bowl , and teach our friends across the pond about how wonderful America can be. It only thing he needed to be on the other side of they field ROLL TIDE !!!!!!!!!!!!!
Eat shit bammer
@@AUWDE5704 lol I agree go vols
Pure awesome!That F*** YEAH cheer between the two cameramen at the end sums it all up
From a London POV I fully understood his perspective... I always say that America is tacky and cheesy as fuh... But nobody does it like The United States of America maan! So damn Epic! An actual Eagle and fighter Jets... Come on brahh who can top that shit!!!!??
+ninjastah the war eagle is one of the mascots of Auburn, that's why it was there, not for patriotism or something
+ninjastah
At the NASCAR car race at Talladega Alabama a few hours drive from this stadium they had a B 2 stealth bomber fly over the race track its about 10 times bigger than this stadium .You guys have no idea how big this football game is in Alabama Every year during this game in the towns and cities of Alabama if you go to the malls or anywhere it is desolate with no one around. they are all watchign the game on tv Its really weird.
rbeck3200tb40 Awesome I wanna see some footage!
+rbeck3200tb40 Yeah, this is literally the biggest thing that happens all year in the state. It's a bit out of proportion to compare this to any other game, even among most other state rivalries and even some of the bowl games.
+rbeck3200tb40 Talladega isn't 10 times bigger than Jordan-Hare lol
As an Auburn alumni and a previous member of the Auburn University Marching Band, I'm glad that my school, my band, my family, brought Stephen Fry to tears.
I love how much he looks like a little kid in that last shot. A really wonderful and warm-hearted piece.
The look of utter shock and disbelief when the fighter jets flew over lmao
The old guy in the background high fiving and getting pumped up after the jets fly by is why America is so great.
That ending was PERFECT.
He's such a distinguished gentleman. He sees things so clearly and is always so well spoken when he sums things up. He's the best of britain experiencing the best of america, including the jet fighters. The air force loves to show off.
I'm from London but lived in Alabama for four years (Owens Cross Roads and Huntsville). I vividly remember the Auburn vs Alabama game and its thousands of accompanying bumper stickers...
Brit: Goes to America
Also Brit: Plays opening music of Alien
The South does football games better than the rest of the country. It's not as extravagant in too many other places.
Go Ducks!
The University of Nebraska has the longest sellout streak in NCAA history, and I would say college football is pretty damned big in the midwest. But all the travelling sportcasters who see college football all over the country insist it is king in the South. Who am I to argue?
Well we win all the national championships for one
Shhhhh. We are all Americans. What else matters?
Brian Fantana
Come on man, Alabama has the most. Particularly in recent years, the SEC has dominated the national scene. Get ready for an all-SEC final this year.
Every time I watch this, I love Stephen Fry and America that much more.
he can't handle the freedom
(eagle caw)
You can even see him tearing up at the end of God Bless America. It's ok, Stephen... let the 'Merica flow.
+Jon Stark Thomas Paine= born in England. That is all.
Matthew Singh-Dosanjh Your comment= completely irrelevant to the topic.
Bob Papadopoulos
Irrelevant? I was demonstrating that one of the great American figures was, in fact, born in England. This isn't irrelevant in the slightest, and actually couldn't be more salient, cogent and significant as you were essentially boasting about the greatness of the US (something I happen to agree with, on certain issues anyhow)
Did not expect it to be that big of a thing.
Looked pretty much the same as the Superbowl.
Most adults that graduated from university in Alabama probably went to either Alabama or Auburn. Also, they are southerners, so their love of gridiron is enormous. And both teams have won national titles.
The super bowl isn't as fun as even this. College is much more fun than professional.
What a vivid expression of heartlander culture; reminds me of my high school. In small towns all throughout the heartland, the local high school football team is one of the most important things in town. Many of the kids on those teams are only able to go to college by getting a sports scholarship to a state university. This makes all the small towns extremely invested in the state's college football teams, and their games are huge events for the locals.
I'm in this video and that just made my day. Proud Auburn Alum and a former member of the Auburn University Marching Band.
1:06 - This is absurd
2:59 - I get it.
3:12 - This is absurd.
I love at the end the camera guys are cheering and slapping hands because of the flyover and Steven Fry is like WTF!
I’m an American and this makes me overwhelmed. I went to a college football game just once in my life and was in misery the whole time. Glad y’all have fun though.
The sitting in the stadium part is the worst of it. Going solo, without a tailgate party or dorm/apartment as a home base just makes it a lot of exhaustion and overpriced food.
The producers for this show were on-point with the music selection. The bit at the beginning is the theme to Alien, which is a perfect metaphor for Steve at that game.
Loved watching his America series. Football back East is insane. But watching Rivalry schools, takes it to another level. I'm from Washington State and sad to see that Stephen only could show a tiny, TINY, piece of all the different states.
Too bad he didn't go their for 2013 he would have seen something he'd never forget
+zh11147 Number 1 versus Number 4, Auburn rebounding from one of its worst seasons in school history, going into a rivalry game having only lost one game. The opponent, Alabama, hadn't lost a game in two years.
Score was tied 28-28 at the end of regulation, but Alabama's coach was able to review the play and get one second put back on.
They tried a 56 yard field goal, which missed and an Auburn player ran it back 109 yards to win.
It was....glorious
+Auburn Lumberjack Dude that is fucking poetry.
jej3451 he ran the missed field goal back. He ran it back 109 yards they’re not gonna keep them off the field tonight. Holy cow. Oh my God Auburn wins. Auburn has won the iron bowl in the most unbelievable fashion you will ever see. And we thought a miracle in Jordan hare was amazing. Oh my lord in heaven. Chris davis.
It's great the college football is self funded and financially iscolated from the actual university. keeps culture and tradition.
I watched most of the series that this clip is from, where he traveled across the whole country to learn about us and our culture. He seems like such a gracious visitor. It is easy for us, as Americans, to go to our favorite events and get caught up in the magic of it all because it is our culture and we take it very personally. To see someone from another country get swept up in the same spirit because he enjoys seeing everybody else enjoy themselves - that is something very cool to see.
Now imagine this documentary at the university of Alabama with over 100,000 people in attendance
Within the first few moments of realizing the tone of the clip, I literally kept thinking, "if there's a flyover, this guy is gonna lose it."
Did not disappoint
inside every Limey, is an American...trying to come out. His inner American is coming out his eyes to taste the freedom
+Brass 'n Barrels Firearms Channel This is a spoof, joke comment, yes?...
+Matthew Singh-Dosanjh no its real
c-luv tyndall
Odd- it's usually the Brits that are insecure, defensive and snooty towards America/Americans.
i dont understand.
+Brass 'n Barrels Firearms Channel So glad i'm british not american. You have no real culture, a history that extends back only about 200 years, and are generally hated around the world for being brash and ignorant
Couldn't have timed it better with the guy fist bumping in the back after the planes go by
Oh Stephen, dear Stephen. My sweet, sweet, summer child...
One of the most underrated minds of comedy. A Bit of Fry and Laurie and QI reruns are some of the most entertaining tv I've ever watched.
The world's greatest military just buzzed his tower.
We do flyovers in the UK as well BTW. It might shock you that Stephen doesn't attend many sporting events. Flyovers are a really good way for pilots to work precision and timing. the RAF always welcome the opportunity as the USAF/USN obviously do.
“One of the things I came away from was if you were to say in Britain ‘Only in Britain,’ it would mean something to do with queuing misery, grayness, bureaucracy, waiting, inefficiency, a dullness of spirit. If you say ‘Only in America,’ it means something daring, dazzling, original, weird, often mad, someone trying to fly by jumping off a building or walking across a tightrope between skyscrapers or something really out there, and it’s a positive thing, whereas in Britain, it’s a negative thing. And that’s what I came away with,” he said. “That game exemplified that yes, it’s preposterous that for kids, students who should be learning Socrates and mathematics and there they are, being more professional in their sport than most professionals in Europe are. It’s the hoopla, the marching band… and the painting of their faces and the release of an eagle and a jet flying overhead. It’s mad and the hoopla is insane, but my God, it’s wonderful. It makes goosebumps rise on your flesh and you feel a privilege to be a part of it. And that is the great American paradox, I think. It’s the great the mix of madness and brilliance and the excess, which has a glory to it. And I think most of us, if we’re honest, envy you. That is part of your national identity to call on.”
I love how he’s honest and not just shitting on the US because it’s the popular thing to do
YES!
Absolutely! THIS is at the top of my reasons for liking Stephen, even when I'm in a mood to not like gay liberals.
How refreshing. Anyone how has spent more than 2 minutes on the internet these few past years knows what I mean.
+Olof Persson
Watch Steven fry's documentary abotu traveling through America its very very good thats what this video clip was from i think its on youtube
Lol, I know what you mean. :D Ive read a lot of anti-American comments from jealous outsiders raging against us like they're obsessed with us or something. Meanwhile, we're just over here living our lives ;) Anyway, Steven Fry did a good job on this documentary, and it's nice to see him experiencing our country and culture(s) of all our different regions and finding the beauty in it all...
+Whitney Angelie
Thats the new fad in Western Europe especially since the W Bush presidency
@@rbeck3200tb40 8 years later, nothing has changed...
His face when the jets flew over was priceless.
That was both terrifying and exhilarating. There is nothing like this in the UK, and I'm not sure if that's good or bad.
All depends on your perspective,Fry should have been there for the 2013 game.
College football is a religion in the south and the Midwest. It trumps The NFL in some areas
***** I'm not sure what the NFL is, but I'm assuming it's big.
The Madhouse
The NFL is the pro football league..
+The Madhouse the nfl is like the premier league
I think it means something that he went to a college football game particularly an SEC one to introduce football to a foreign audience. This is the purest american football experience you could get
Now that I think about it the fighter jets dont make much sense, but damn are they cool.
+TLW918 If one is a little child, perhaps.
+rdecredico No, if one is a regular human being, the jets are really fucking cool.
+TLW918 Military jet flyovers make perfect sense when you consider they don't fly over unless Old Glory is waving below. Hint: Eternal vigilance.
Hahahahaha
Patriotic idiocy for pea brained numb skulls.
rdecredico Go pick up your Midol and tampons at the drug store, bitch. ;)
Stephen, no fair! You went to an Iron Bowl and I still haven’t! Darn you Fry! Darn you!!!😂
The perfect level of Americana! I love Stephen Fry.
One of my favorite videos of all time, perfectly represents the sport and America
It literally didn’t even mention the sport.
There is nothing as incredible as seeing an older British gentlemen engaging with American youth
This is hilarious. I live in Alabama and this is one of the biggest games every year for Alabamians! Alabamians love (American) football!
The look on his face at the end is just priceless! Only in America... jets!
Awesome video and a great outsider's perspective on the greatness of our country.
lol,,he is like "Jets? " " You have fucking jets?"
A football game without at least three fighter jets is considered a dull affair.
That awkward moment when all of the ads can load, but the video can't.
fuck you, google.
Nothing more than a local derby.... Slight understatement of a great American College football rivalry
Oh my God, the fact that Stephen Fry has been to my university is so fantastic to me that I can hardly move.
This video would make outsiders think that this was one big band practice.
Do you realize how much it would cost to show game footage.... the NCAA and NFL and other sports groups sale their contracts strictly to channels for millions and billions of dollars... only news organizations are aloud to show game footage because they are not making a profit off of it .... everyone has heard the disclaimers about doing any thing without the express written consent of the NFL etc, etc.... seriously it would never happen and if they did it would cost extreme amounts of money to show game footage, have you ever seen any documentary not made by a major sports channel show game footage, especially of football?
Zachary Smith This isn’t true. Those restrictions only apply to the official broadcast footage. Anyone can record the game (as many do take clips with smartphones).
The subject of the documentary is the American people and it’s culture though, not football. So the camera crews were focused on the pageantry and the fans instead. They could have filmed parts of the game if they wanted to.
i Love the aliens style music at the beginning
"What is this i have stumbled upon?!"
Forget about them. Most of us Brits love you guys. America is like our bigger, flashy, cool cousin.
That brief use of the Aliens soundtrack was on point, kudos to the editor.
I live in Canada so this is pretty normal to see, but I never thought about how fucked up this must appear to Europeans
glich86 I'm born Irish and moved to the southern US when I was 9, so I'm pretty accustomed to North American living, but I've traveled all over the place. That said, I went to the Grey Cup a couple years ago and it was, to me at least, the single most bizarre thing I've ever been to.
Every team's fans showed up instead of just the two playing, the halftime show was all Canadian bands, all the advertising was Canadian marques... It was like eating McDonalds in Japan or something: all the ingredients were the same, but just "off" to me.
And soccer fans claim we Americans aren't as passionate about sports as they are.
its different. american sports work because they are in america. i went to a baseball game which i know isnt the same as american football. but it all seemed very friendly i saw a dodgers fan sat with yankee fans and i was confused. i said to the americans i was with "should he be here and why is noone giving him grief or taking the piss". its seems far less tribal in america and far more family orientated. hurling abuse didnt seem the done thing. america just seemed far more civilised.
tom fluff
In America any bad fans are banned from upcoming games and police check you to make sure you are not carrying anything like explosives.
+bulldogsbob yeah we have that here as well. but swearing and tormenting the opposite fans and players is just considered normal. i know for a fact alot of football (soccer) fans ,including myself become very obnoxious when watching my team play. its just different. soccer support is raw, humorous, spiteful, offensive, emotional. american sports support is family orientated, choreographed, industrial, clean, enjoyable. its different and i think its different because in american sports there is nothing to lose. ie no such thing as relegation.
tom fluff
Soccer teams in general are not just sport but are often outlets to region,religious,ethnic and economic historical hatreds so it's not the sport itself as it is an outlet to old hate.
You mentioned a Dodgers game well for long time it was know as a hotbed for gang bangers until management cracked down on it. Plus the Dodgers don't play the Yankees often but they have stabbed Giants fans in the past
The kind of things ultras do would NEVER be allowed here in the States.
We have drunk idiotic fans who yell at other fans, but we kick them out
of the stadium. This is about having fun, watching a game you love, not
being harassed by idiots. People need to be civil and we enforce that.
i love how he's dressed like a "Doctor" :P
The Alien soundtrack was a nice touch.