America's most well-known, played, and watched sport: football.
Spain's most well-known, played, and watched sport: futbol.
Don't be fooled by the similarity in names, these are two distinct sports.
Saying all of Spain watches and loves futbol (futbol=soccer) would be a generalization, but I'm pretty positive it's safe to say that most of Spain follows the sport. I'd even venture to say that futbol is a significant part of Spanish culture. With that said, attending a game is a cultural experience, right?
Right!!!
Yes, ladies and gentlemen I attended my first ever, REAL Spanish futbol game! And it absolutely was a cultural experience.
But before I begin my recollection of the game, let's review a few key points to understand Sevilla futbol, shall we?
Betis: Betis is one of Sevilla's two futbol teams. Their colors are green and white. Betis is the poorer of the two teams. They come from the working class and represent the average Sevillano. Our family supports Betis, so obviously I do too!
Sevilla: Sevilla is the other Sevilla futbol team. Wearing the colors of red and white, Sevilla is more well off than Betis. They represent the upper class Sevillano. Much like the competition between the Cubs and the Sox in Chicago, a friendly rivalry exists between Betis and Sevilla fans.
Scouting: In America, scouting isn't encouraged or the safest way to buy a ticket. In Spain, however, it's the way to go! Scouting tickets is cheap and easy. You talk to people outside of the stadium and negotiate a price to buy the ticket.
Bocadillo: Bocadillo's are truly Spanish. Bocadillo basically means Sub sandwich. Normally their made of ham, turkey, sausage, or the typically Spanish tortilla de patata.
So I began my cultural adventure on public transportation. We got on bus number six to head down to Betis Stadium. Packed like sardines, the bus was a sea of green. When we arrived, we met up with friends outside of the stadium, all of us first time scouters.
We all looked at each other, hoping someone would know what to do.
"I guess we just ask someone?"
After laughing at our lack of "scouting-savvy" we approached a guy and asked where we could buy tickets. He connected us with some "guido" looking guys who insisted on 30€. But we're smarter than that. Unconvinced, we began to walk away...cursing (in Spanish) under their breath, they followed and lowered the price to 25€. Still not happy, we moved on. Luckily, we were approached by another guy. 20€ per person. SOLD!
Phew! Tickets in hand, we entered into the Betis stadium. As we searched for our seats, we quickly learned our assigned numbers meant nothing. We spotted a bunch of empty seats with a better view and snagged those! As I sat down, I felt a sense of nostalgia. The stadium reminded me very much of baseball fields back home in the U. S. of A.
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However, the differences in the experience just kept coming!
Half time = Snack time.
But instead of buying a hamburger or hot dog from a stand, the Spaniards whip out their homemade bocadillos, wrapped up in foil!
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The obvious cherry on top of the cultural differences cake is, as always, the language. Just like the U.S. it's typical to yell and cheer at games. However, instead of hearing, "Common, Let's go!" "Sh!t," I heard "Venga (Common), Vamos (Let's go)!!" "Joder (Curse word beginning with the letter F)" "En serio? (seriously?)" all evening! Definitely an interesting twist to a familiar experience.
In the end, Real Betis tied Racing Santander 1 to 1. The crowd left the stadium disappointed, but I had a smile from ear to ear.
To truly experience a new place, you have to live like the locals.
Attend a Betis game with Sevillanos, packed bocadillo and all. Check.
Spain's most well-known, played, and watched sport: futbol.
Don't be fooled by the similarity in names, these are two distinct sports.
Saying all of Spain watches and loves futbol (futbol=soccer) would be a generalization, but I'm pretty positive it's safe to say that most of Spain follows the sport. I'd even venture to say that futbol is a significant part of Spanish culture. With that said, attending a game is a cultural experience, right?
Right!!!
Yes, ladies and gentlemen I attended my first ever, REAL Spanish futbol game! And it absolutely was a cultural experience.
But before I begin my recollection of the game, let's review a few key points to understand Sevilla futbol, shall we?
Betis: Betis is one of Sevilla's two futbol teams. Their colors are green and white. Betis is the poorer of the two teams. They come from the working class and represent the average Sevillano. Our family supports Betis, so obviously I do too!
Sevilla: Sevilla is the other Sevilla futbol team. Wearing the colors of red and white, Sevilla is more well off than Betis. They represent the upper class Sevillano. Much like the competition between the Cubs and the Sox in Chicago, a friendly rivalry exists between Betis and Sevilla fans.
Scouting: In America, scouting isn't encouraged or the safest way to buy a ticket. In Spain, however, it's the way to go! Scouting tickets is cheap and easy. You talk to people outside of the stadium and negotiate a price to buy the ticket.
Bocadillo: Bocadillo's are truly Spanish. Bocadillo basically means Sub sandwich. Normally their made of ham, turkey, sausage, or the typically Spanish tortilla de patata.
So I began my cultural adventure on public transportation. We got on bus number six to head down to Betis Stadium. Packed like sardines, the bus was a sea of green. When we arrived, we met up with friends outside of the stadium, all of us first time scouters.
We all looked at each other, hoping someone would know what to do.
"I guess we just ask someone?"
After laughing at our lack of "scouting-savvy" we approached a guy and asked where we could buy tickets. He connected us with some "guido" looking guys who insisted on 30€. But we're smarter than that. Unconvinced, we began to walk away...cursing (in Spanish) under their breath, they followed and lowered the price to 25€. Still not happy, we moved on. Luckily, we were approached by another guy. 20€ per person. SOLD!
Phew! Tickets in hand, we entered into the Betis stadium. As we searched for our seats, we quickly learned our assigned numbers meant nothing. We spotted a bunch of empty seats with a better view and snagged those! As I sat down, I felt a sense of nostalgia. The stadium reminded me very much of baseball fields back home in the U. S. of A.
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Betis Stadium
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However, the differences in the experience just kept coming!
Half time = Snack time.
But instead of buying a hamburger or hot dog from a stand, the Spaniards whip out their homemade bocadillos, wrapped up in foil!
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Proof. Yes, that is a bocadillo in his hands.
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Proof #2.
It is genuinely an awesome sight. The working folk attending Betis games know how to save a penny. Unlike the U.S., the stadium security doesn't check if you're bringing outside food in. More than that, there are few places to buy food inside the stadium! We're not in Kansas anymore, Toto..jpg)
The obvious cherry on top of the cultural differences cake is, as always, the language. Just like the U.S. it's typical to yell and cheer at games. However, instead of hearing, "Common, Let's go!" "Sh!t," I heard "Venga (Common), Vamos (Let's go)!!" "Joder (Curse word beginning with the letter F)" "En serio? (seriously?)" all evening! Definitely an interesting twist to a familiar experience.
In the end, Real Betis tied Racing Santander 1 to 1. The crowd left the stadium disappointed, but I had a smile from ear to ear.
To truly experience a new place, you have to live like the locals.
Attend a Betis game with Sevillanos, packed bocadillo and all. Check.
