"Green Street Hooligans"

Ever since I was a child, I have been crazy about the game of soccer. It has been more than a sport to me, creating an escape from the pressures of every day life. Regardless of my unconditional passion for this game, I have a hard time getting a handle on the movie “Green Street Hooligans.” Soccer is not just a sport that these people play or watch, but it is a way of life to them. The hooligans in this movie are representative of the firms across Europe, which are organized groups similar to gangs in the United States. In the movie, there is one firm for every team in the European premier league in the United Kingdom. Firms not only provoke fights with each other, but they also plan fights after particular games. The movie portrays the Green Street Elite, a West Ham firm in the United Kingdom, as a group of men that is absolutely crazy. In some scenes, they are completely outnumbered by other firms, but they never back down because it is all about reputation to hooligans. Although there has been some controversy over the amount of violence portrayed in the film opposed to the actual amount that exists in firms, I expect real members of such firms to be just as passionate about what they do.

The study of anthropology is the investigation of differences between cultures, which can be viewed as making sense of the unfamiliar. I feel that many people in the United States would have a difficult time understanding these firms because soccer is not very big in our country. For starters, the name of this sport is different in our country than in any other. We refer to the game as soccer, whereas every other country calls it football. Baseball is considered an American sport, which the main characters even reference in the movie. There is a scene where an American argues with the leader of the Green Street Elite, claiming that baseball is the best sport. He states that a pitcher from the Red Sox can throw at over 90 MPH, but the firm’s leader is far from impressed, laughing in his face.



Throughout this blog, I plan to establish the history of firms around the world and establish what they are like outside the film. I will research news stories about firms, and conduct an interview of a person who has witnessed the fighting. Ultimately, I hope to understand why one would want to become a hooligan.

Alexander, Lexi, dir.
2004 Green Street Hooligans. 108 min. Warner Bros. Entertainment. Hollywood.