You’re not going to see that at an NBA game
In the fiftieth minute, a guttural roar went up in unison with the flares lighting up the Harlem End of the stadium. Numerous individual wildfires up and down the stands came together in an instant, the darkness dissipated, the noise and the smoke and the bright bright lights enraptured the Chicago Fire supporters packed into Section 8.
"It looks like Istanbul, Turkey behind the goal there." - visiting Houston Dynamo announcer, Chicago Fire vs. Houston Dynamo, Chicago, 05.06.09
The television announcers for the visiting team, the Houston Dynamo, could not hide their excitement at the unexpected diversion in the stands during a midseason MLS match:
Suddenly, all eyes were on Section 8. The television camera stares, and those inside Section 8 see their own image on the jumbotron at the other end of the stadium. The Dynamo goalkeeper, Pat Onstad, glances nervously back as the flares pop.
"Oh man. That is incredible."
One man is visible in Section 8 above the fray, the smoke wafting around him, giving him an almost spectral presence: the Capo, leading the chants, bouncing electrically on the stand just above the mayhem.
"Those are supposed to be no-nos."
Meanwhile, inside Section 8, a seven year old is enthralled, as his father explained afterwards.
My 7 year old has been bugging me to sit in section 8. I was a regular way back in the day, but with little kids, I’ve been sitting in more sedate areas and enjoying the show you put on every game.
Last night I decided to give it a shot. We stood 3-4 rows from the top so that he could see a little bit. He fucking loved it. All of it. He was desperate to learn each song and chant. His voice is nearly gone today.
Anyway, he was having a great time and then . . . . . the flares. That put him over the top. Coolest thing ever. The only down side was that he was disappointed to learn that there wouldn’t be more flares a few minutes later.
"That is a thing of beauty. Are you kidding me?"
One wonders what Piotr Nowak thought. In town for the day, the former Fire captain (now coach of the Philadelphia Union) would have remembered the burst of European ultras culture Fire supporters brought to MLS in the club’s inaugural, double-winning year, 1998. On this night, a large two pole banner bearing Nowak’s image shone in Section 8, backlit beautifully by the flares.
"You're not going to see that at an NBA game."
The flares faded into the night, security pulled supporters out, the stadium manager marched around in fury, MLS marketing and sales execs salivated, and Fire supporters had lived up to their name.
Photo and video credits: Nick Hawkins; modibo1; novione; Saeyddthe
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WOW!!! VERY NICE !!!
impressive, especially for the USA. Tom – any chance to get any info on what penalties are served in the MLS or in Illinois law for lighting flares inside stadiums?
It’s apparently a lifetime ban from the stadium and a felony offense. So not exactly something anyone should do lightly.
And thank god it isn’t a scene that would be at a NBA game, or any American sport…at least not tolerated.
As much as I love the sport of soccer, some of these so called traditions, are accidents waiting to happen, and usually will happen at some point
Chris, you might find this article on the Fire supporters’ ISA attempts to work out a regulated, safe pyrotechnic display interesting: http://section8chicago.com/jm3/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=206:isa-efforts-underway-to-bring-legitimacy-to-flares-and-smoke-at-toyota-park&catid=47:chicago-fire-news&Itemid=157
Unfortunately, the team have repeatedly failed to follow through on promises to make this happen.
Not to stop anyone from snarking on the NBA, but pointing out you’re not going to see flares anywhere they play INDOORS is a little obvious.
Being indoors doesn’t stop ultras in European basketball, Brent…
http://forums.interbasket.net/showpost.php?p=189870&postcount=18
Chris in DC, accident waiting to happen? Come on, flares have been common on Continental Europe since the 70′s… total accidents = 0.
Euroleague Basketball games have singing sections and atmospheres well beyond what you get in the NBA, with many of the Greek, Spanish and Turkish football giants having Basketball teams operating under the club name. In Serbia the basketball is of a much higher standard than the football, the result packed houses with whole ends resembling Section 8 in the clip. Just because it’s different to the NBA doesn’t make it wrong. Ask a sportsman, they’d rather play in front of a passionate crowd anyday, in fact any supporter worth his salt should be the ‘extra man’ on the field.
Support = Passion. The MLS is bringing out the best in your country, those fans could grace any stadium be it in Europe, Asia or South America. Unlike the sterile, corporate worlds of your main domestic sports. Let’s be honest, if the NFL was any good you’d be bringing it to Europe rather than us bringing football to you.
I personally think pyro displays are tremendous shows of support. They certainly need to be handled responsibly; as with any DIY fireworks effort, there are legitimate concerns about safety, even if the accident rate for pyro seems to be low in Europe (it’s certainly above zero, though). Anytime something is burning at 500F in the middle of hundreds of people, there’s a public safety issue.
That’s why in Section 8 we have been working with the club to find a legal and safe solution. It’s an expensive and difficult path, but one that hopefully will be achieved sometime. We’ve been promising supporters for two years there would be progress on this, but for various reasons the front office goes from supportive to obstructive and the path hasn’t been smooth. Supporters have held off these displays for a while, but it’s part of the culture here and has been for a long time, and some obviously decided not to wait around any longer.
Has there ever been an injury in Portland involving flares? I can’t seem to remember one and they’ve used them a number of times.
I love those pics and the bar has been set for my beloved Cauldron. Only roman candles that land on the field and inspire Claudio Lopez to actually run will suffice. Beware Garber, bewaaaaare……..
They’ll be overtaking us soon.
We had one Flare display in Portland but that was a protest against a horribly run time and some incompetence at the top. No serious injuries that I heard of at the time, though I think a jacket or two were trashed. Sec8 looked abso-f*ckin’-lutely amazing with those flares, by the way.
Wow.
RCTID!
I don’t remember any flares at Portland but look out for the future! I am stoked at what Mr. Paulson and the city of Portland is doing for the Portland Timbers and with us stepping up into a bigger stadium the flares might go aflying!!