It is safe to say that I live, eat, breathe, sleep football. When I am not busy attending matches for my internship, I am doing research on football for my thesis paper, when I am taking a break from that I am watching the matches with the guys in my foyer, when I am not doing any of the above, I am running and training to get back in football shape…and I love ALL of it. Football here, as with almost all sports, is stereotypically a male dominated sport. A higher percentage of males play on a consistent basis. If you go to your local pub or bar you will not see women who are actually there to watch the game (being there to spend time with their boyfriends doesn’t count in my book). And as I had mentioned in an earlier post, it is not typical to see women in the stadiums. As such, I always find it particularly amusing to watch the faces of men when I get going about football. I am sure that they hear from a lot of girls that they “know” football. So, it is evident that when I say that they take it with a grain of salt. It isn’t until I am challenging their opinions and bringing up specific statistics that they begin to take me seriously, and sometimes they forget.

During my time here in France, I have had a number of instances where it is assumed that either know nothing about football and/or am not interested in the sport.

Example #1: The Didot Football Group When I first arrived in my foyer, I was delighted to find that there was a rather large group of guys that watch football in the Community room at my foyer. Knowing that this was a way to break into the social scene, I sat down with them to watch the first leg of the Barcelona vs. Real Madrid match for the King’s Cup in Spain. My gender, coupled with my lack of knowledge of French terminology for football at the time, made me an instant outsider in the group, a fact evidenced by their lack of acknowledgement of my existence. I was not discouraged. Even in the States I know that it is not typical to have a girl who is really interested in European football. And really, I knew that I was going against a number of stereotypes. 1. I am a female. 2. I am an American. 3. I was new. 

Three months later and I am a fully inducted member of the football watching group at CLJT Didot. As my vocabulary increased, my confidence grew, enabling me to engage in coversation with the guys and establish the facts that yes, I actually know a thing or two about football, and yes, in fact I have played before, and oh yeah just because I am a girl does not mean that I love Christiano Ronaldo.

(I mean, come on, the guy uses more hair product than me and it seems like he cries all of the time, what is sexy about that??)

Example #2- My Internship- Now one would assume that if I searched for an internship specifically in football, that I am at least a little bit interested in the sport. My interest came as a great surprise to my boss however, who was shocked to discover that I not only understand how the sport works, but also that I knew the names of players and teams. As my “stage”  has continued and my knowledge of the sport has become increasingly evident,his respect for me has increased tenfold. It also probably helps that I am using his research in my thesis paper….

The second surprise came just this past week. I participate in a Commission at Parc des Princes. As such, I attend each and every match at the Parc. In addition I am writing a thesis paper on supporter violence and racism in European football. Needless to say I have greatly increased my knowledge in these areas. As a part of my research, I stumbled on the website of a hooligan supporter and reported it to my boss, who turned the information over to the appropriate authorities. When he reported my findings to the members of the commission they were shocked that I was the one that found the information and that I was interested at all in football….again, one would think that if I was participating that I was at least a little bit interested…

Example #3- Everytime I watch a match in a public place- I will never forget the looks on the faces of the guys around me the first time I got into a debate with them about the quality of a player or questioned their interpretation of game specifics. In my personal experience it appears as if Europe is even more attached to certain “gender norms” than the United States. While in some cases I find my European counterparts more open to the ideas of “equality” between genders, there are still some things that have remained gender segregated, one of those being sports. One of the most recent experiences happened during the Champions League semi-final. I went to a local pub with my boyfriend to watch the match. Being an avid hater of Real Madrid I went with the hope of seeing a Bayern victory. When we got to the bar however we found that a lot of other people had the same idea that we had, and there weren’t a lot of tables available in the bar, let alone near the screen. The waiter took one look at us and pointed to a table where one person would have a view of the screen, the other would have their back and be unable to watch the match. The look on his face when he realized that both of us were interested in the match was priceless. 

Fighting Against the Stereotypes

While I do get a kick out of the reactions that I have gotten here for being an American girl who likes football, I am a little bit angry about the stereotypes that I have been subjected to. While I am aware that stereotypes develop for a reason, it is unfortunate that society is so ingrained in these beliefs, even when they have been thwarted and challenged over the years. I subscribe to another blog called World Football Report, and they published a comment by a podcast that really angered me….” “

“It’s fine if you’re a female and you want to be a super-fan. Clearly go for it, that’s your choice. But there is something to be said for how appealing that might be to the other sex. Having a woman that’s such a fan, like painting your face, tuning in to every podcast. I don’t know how many males would be into that. It’s great that in Kansas City there are a lot of women in the stands, it’s great, but for the guy who wants maybe a serious relationship… If you are following just casually, but if you’re such a die-hard, I don’t know, it comes a point that it is a bit of a turn-off.”

There are two things that particularly irritate me in this comment:

1. Women are sex objects. According to this women should be monitoring their actions so that they are always a “turn on” and relationship material for men. 

2. Women cannot express love or devotion for their team. Women must only support their team to gain the approval and desire of men. 

I have always been a tomboy. I have always been an avid sports follower and participant. It wasn’t until I got older that I realized that this was something that may make me attractive to men. My suppport for my teams have come out of a genuine interest and passion for the sport, the team structure, the players, and the history. If this is something that men find attractive, wonderful, but that is not the goal of my support. And despite the fact that I have embraced some more “girly” aspects of my personality, I am still the kind of person that would rather play football on a muddy field in the pouring rain than sit for an afternoon curling my hair and painting my nails. That is not to criticize or pass judgement on those who would prefer to do the latter (and even I like getting my nails done once in awhile), but playing football would certainly be my preference. 

In other news, my internship and classes are wrapping up. I have just over two weeks until my thesis paper is due and the last day of my internship. I then have approximately one week to relax, then I start my full time summer job! 

New post to come soon!

The current advertising campaign being used by PSG. The advertisement was created by a joint effort of PSG and SOS Racisme. 

This video (in French, I apologize to those who cannot understand) is a news documentary on the commission that I participate in each week at Parc des Princes. 

Some photos taken during the last couple of matches that I have been to. Pictures are from PSG vs. Bordeaux, PSG vs. Marseille, and Marseille vs. Lyon. The first two matches took place at Parc des Princes, the home stadium of Paris Saint Germain located in the 16th Arrondissement and the last match was held at the Stade de France. 

Over the last several weeks, a majority of my time has been spent at SOS Racism as a full time intern for their “Touche Pas Mon Foot” campaign, working directly with Parisian football club Paris Saint Germain. Unlike other programs from SOS, the focus of this program is not only against discrimination, but also to erradicate violent supporters from the stadium. For those who are not aware, attending a football match in Europe is radically different from attending a soccer match in the United States, or any sport for that matter.

First thing to understand: soccer (I am going to refer to this as “football” from now on) is HUGE here. It is even more popular than American baseball or American Football is in the states. Countries the size of England have multiple clubs with thousands and thousands of screaming supporters. In short, it is a football fan’s dream to attend a match here. 

Second: Football is not a sport for the family. I remember attending my first football game with my family. I could not have been more than 10 years old. We went as a part of my local soccer league, tailgated before the match in the parking lot, and kicked the ball around. In the States, football is the “family friendly” sport. The simplicity of the game allows it to reach across all income and skill levels and can be played and equally enjoyed by both girls and boys. Not here. As I mounted the stairs to take my seat at the first game that I worked as a member of the commission, I remember looking around me to note the number of women in the stand with me. I was the only one. It really is quite a difference. It is safe to say that a majority of the supporters are male and between the ages of 18-65. Having an older male fan base can create its own problems of course. People are highly intoxicated, both on alcohol purchased before the match (it is forbidden to drink alcohol in the stadium) and on the marijuana smoked throughout the match. It is safe to say that the support is passionate. They will literally live and die by their team, but sometimes it can get dangerous. 

Third: you will NOT sit with supporters of the opposing team. In the States it is common to be sitting in the stands with supporters of both teams in one section. This is literally not possible in European stadiums. In order to ensure the safety of all involved, supporters of the visiting team are assigned to a specific section. At Parc des Princes, they are protected not only by a screen (similar to baseball netting) that encloses the entire area (I will get to why later) but also by a cover that protects them from the top. Supporters of visiting clubs have literally died in riots after matches here. By keeping the supporters separate from each other, Parc staff and security hope to keep the violence to a minimum. 

Fourth: At Parc des Princes it is common for one to hear firecracker explosions, see  smoke makers activiated, and controlled fires started to show one’s support for their team. I cannot tell you how many times I jumped during the first match. Everytime a firecracker went off, it was like a small bomb. Needless to say this behavior is forbidden, and the club pays dearly for the poor behavior of the supporters (10,000 euros per firecracker, smokemaker set off during the match, the first match there were 11, you do the math), and has set themselves up to prevent this type of behavior. The supporters are extremely creative, to the point where you must stop and admire their desperation to bring and use these items during the matches. As to the netting surrounding the visitor’s section: this is to prevent supporters of PSG from throwing things at the supporters of the opposing side, like firecrackers. 

Fifth: one word. Hooligans. So, we think our fans are pretty badass. They dress up in ridiculous outfits. They paint their bodies. They shout horribly offensive things about the refs, the players, the other team etc. The supporters in the United States can in NO WAY compare to the hooligans here in Europe. If you haven’t watched Green Street Hooligans, I highly suggest it. It will give you a little bit of insight into the world that exists. Hooliganism is a problem that has plagued English football for decades, but it is an idea that exists throughout Europe. Hooliganism encourages a violent support of one’s team. Often these groups are racist, anti-semitic, and politically extreme. In England they have manifested themselves in gangs that physically fight each other, creating a truly violent and frightening situation. In France the problem has not reached that scale of violence.

There is only one match that garners that kind of violent support: Paris Saint Germain vs. Marseille. If you had to compare this match to others you may already be familiar with it is Red Sox vs. Yankees, Bruins vs. Canadians, Jets vs. Patriots, Tottenham vs. Arsenal, Barcelona vs. Real Madrid. In a nutshell it is the biggest match in Ligue 1. Marseille hates Paris, Paris hates Marseille. In the past, the rivalry has largely been derived from geographical location, in addition to other differences. In this season the rivalry has taken on new meaning. This is the first season that PSG has had a very successful season in a long time, they are currently in a position where they could win the league. Marseille on the other hand, one of the winningest teams in the league, is not even going to qualify for the Europa league after this season (8th/9th place finish likely).

The supporter battles for these matches have been so violent in the past that supporters from the opposing side are banned from the home stadium the day of the match. People have died, as recently as two years ago. It is safe to say that the environment at Parc des Princes was buzzing the day of that match. I honestly did not think that anything could top that. Louis and I had a blast watching the supporters around us, and the game was really something. Luckily PSG won the match 2-1 so supporters were excited, but relatively calm when leaving the stadium. I was really lucky to be able to go to that game, supporters have to buy tickets MONTHS in advance to have seats.

The best environment that I have been a part of however was at this weekend’s France League Cup final at the Stade de France. The Stade de France is the largest stadium in the country. It can seat over 80,000 supporters. The two teams who had made it to the final were Lyon and Marseille. The stadium was divided down the middle, half of the supporters were Lyon fans, half from Marseille but the Marseille supporters easily outchanted the Lyon fans. It was absolutely crazy but amazingly controled and fun. I had made up my mind to support Lyon before the match, thanks to the advice of my little brother, upon arrival Louis and I discovered that we had amazing seats (5 rows up from the pitch!!!) but in the Marseille section. I, by default and fear for my life, switched my allegiance to Marseille for the rest of the match. Unfortunately the game itself was rather boring. There were few scoring opportunities, and the match remained scoreless until the first overtime period. 

How have I been fortunate enough to be able to go to all of these matches? Luckily they are included as a part of my internship experience. I am a part of a commission that monitors supporter behavior during the matches to help eradicate violent supporters from the stadium. We work with PSG management and security to help them better target violent supporters and to prevent them from entering the stadium. In addition, I have been invited to participate in a series of conferences and meetings. Most recently, I participated in a conference of the French Football Federation. The goal of the conference was to discuss the setup of the league, the financial implications of decisions, marketing strategies, and interactions with political entities. I was COMPLETELY star struck. Not only was I rubbing shoulders with some of the most influential players and coaches in international football (Gerard Houlier for one), but they were asking MY opinion.

Despite my star-studded day, I left the conference disappointed. The majority of the conference ended up boiling down to finances. Coaches and managers alike came to the overall conclusion that, in order to remain competitive with the rest of the world, there was a need for increased financing. More money. No one talked about players who played for love of the sport. No one talked about improving the youth system. No one talked about improving what they already had. The focus was on spending more money and on attracting international talent. Unfortunately these goals mean that it will be more expensive to go to watch a match. TV rights will be sold to private companies and ticket prices for matches will be increased. Football will become exclusive. An anomaly when one considers that football is one of the only sports that can be played in any country, in any conditions, all that is needed is a ball. Football has long been viewed as the everyman’s sport. If the tickets continue to become more expensive, matches unavailable to watch on public television, and local clubs being dominated by foreign born players, I fear that we will see an end to football as we know it. 

All in all I have been very happy with this part of my internship. My eyes have been opened to a world that I had only heard about and seen on T.V. There are still several matches left to go in the season. Updates will be forthcoming! :-)

I would like to apologize to anyone who is following my blog. Unfortunately I have a rather large presentation next week for my 30 page thesis paper and will be unable to blog until that is completed. For those who are curious the subject of my thesis concerns the link between violent supporterism, or hooliganism and racism, and the groups that have vowed to work against these actions in Europe. While I am lucky and have  a lot to work with, the next few days will be spent organizing the information and finalizing the presentation. I hope to post soon after my presentation regarding updates on life here, pictures, and my work with SOS Racism. I hope that everyone is having a great semester and is enjoying the summerlike weather!

I am finally getting better about the frequency of these posts! Two and a half months into my Parisian experience, and I can honestly say I am significantly better at French but far from fluent in this beautiful language. I am finding that my formal French lessons are not nearly as helpful as one would think. School french does not equal day to day french. French young people rarely speak “textbook French,” and since most of my exposure to French was in my classes, I felt quite lost when I first arrived. While my classes served to be quite a shock when it came to my comprehension of the language, the true shock came when I began my “stage” (internship) at SOS Racism. Even in France, classroom French is very different from street French. It is safe to say that at SOS, a relatively informal working environment, that academic French is not the language spoken during the day. Another contributing factor is the age of my coworkers. SOS, as I have mentioned before, is primarily made up of people under the age of 30. As we are all around the same age, the French spoken around the office is very informal, laced with “verlan” (street french where they move letters around) and “argot” (French slang). The first week I had a lot of difficulty understanding my coworkers. Not only was my brain exhausted at the end of each day from attempting to discern their conversations, but I spent whatever time I could attempting to perfect my own grammar. That was when I realized that that was not very important. It is much more important to attempt to say something and horribly mess up the grammar then it is to stay silent for fear of making a mistake. After a week of never talking to my coworkers I realized that I needed to just dive in headfirst and stop trying to be “perfect” in my grammar.

I am also finding that I am lacking in vocabulary for seemingly important things, like doctor’s visits. Unfortunately I caught some type of horrible cold this weekend which developed into a rather deep cough. After several days I realized that I should probably go to the doctors. After attempting to find a list of English speaking doctors in Paris, I stumbled upon an article that said that the French medical association had banned the publication of which doctors were English speaking. I was stuck…either learn all of this vocabulary immediately, or avoid the doctor altogether. Originally I was going to wait, it seemed to be getting better and frankly I did not want to have to pay if I wasn’t really sick. But after a day of solid coughing I decided to brave the doctor’s office. Luckily there is a doctor whose office is located just five minutes walking from my foyer. After getting lost, I walked into the office, waited just half an hour and was taken in by the doctor. After reviewing my entire medical history (in French, I surprised myself at how much I could tell him/ understand his questions) he began the examination. Ten minutes later I was out of the office with a prescription for pills to combat pneumonia (still trying to figure out exactly how I caught that) as well as two different inhalers that I must take daily for the next month. I was then rather happy that I did go to the doctor. I also have benefited tremendously from the French socialized medical system. Despite having no health insurance whatsoever in France (save for my emergency coverage by my company at home), my prescriptions totaled just 76 euro and the visit to the doctor was just 28 euro. If I had been prescribed the same medications at home without health insurance, I am sure that it would have cost more than a few hundred dollars on top of the exorbitant doctor fee. 

How did I get sick? Well I have decided that it is likely due to a few contributing factors. First, lately I have been more concerned with the cost of food then the quality of food. As I stated before I have been living off of bread. Unfortunately, while filling, there is little nutritional value in bread. Also, it can be rather difficult to intergrate fruits and vegetables into your diet unless you consciously choose to add them in. I have been provided with meals at my foyer, but even in a complete meal it is hard to have vegetables, the only choice is typically a small salade. So, lesson number 1: eat more fruits and vegetables. Second, I have not been very good about intergrating cardio exercise into my daily routine. This is partly because I walk everywhere and therefore saw no need to add additional exercise to my routine, especially when I am pressed for time. I have decided to make a concious effort to intergate exercise back into my routine, even if it means getting up a little bit earlier each morning so that I can squeeze it in before breakfast. I can already say that it is very unlikely that this will be an every day occurrence, however three  days a week of additional exercise will be good and will hopefully boost my immune system. Third: unfortunately my coworkers smoke in the office. While this is technically not allowed, being an intern I feel like I have little power to change a practice that has been in existance long before my arrival. Also, I am in the minority. As I have never had much of a problem with my lungs before working in a smoking environment despite other people being sick around me, I am wondering if this is also a contributing factor. Fourth: the metro. As convenient as the metro has been, I am sure that it is not the best place to be if one wants to stay healthy, especially if you are pressed up against people during a crowded commute hour. While I cannot really change my reliance on the metro, especially to get to work, I can walk further and lesson my time of exposure. I am really not very concerned about this however, this is my first time being sick in a LONG time. It was bound to happen at some point, and I am lucky that it is nothing worse. 

Updates on travel (Amsterdam particularly) will hopefully be the subject of my next post, but I have several large projects coming up, so it is likely that it will be a week or so before my next significant post… until then I hope everyone has a marvelous Easter break!

For those of you who do not know, I am remaining in France for the summer!! This Euro tournament is one of the things that I am most looking forward to experiencing here. Since football is much bigger here, it will be fun to be a part of the craziness that is sure to ensue.