My Besiktas

Tonight we went to a soccer game right by our hotel to watch a Turkish team named Besiktas play Manchester United (one of the best soccer teams in England). The game was completely amazing! We got to the game about 1 hour and 45 minutes early. We thought it would be just like getting to a game in the states that early; however, for the fans, the game started an hour and a half before the players started playing. There was music and chants and cheering and dancing! We got to know a man behind us who spoke English fairly well. He told us all about Besiktas and why they were the best team in Turkey. According to him there are three teams in Turkey. One has the rich fans who have no heart. One team has the well educated fans that are devoted yet not driven. But Besiktas stands alone, having fans with absolutely no money - but TONS of heart. And I would have to agree with him (at least about the heart!). I had read that Besiktas fans were insanely devoted to their team, but I was not prepared for what I experienced. 40,000 fans Screaming, Yelling, and Dancing for about 2-3 hours straight! We never sat down once during the game. I have never been to a game in the US where the entire stadium goes from screaming at the top of their lungs to completely silent holding their breath (during a shot on goal by Manchester United that barely missed). I felt completely united with every person in the stadium even though we didn't speak the same language.

I really wish there was a sporting event in the US that I could compare this to, but there is none. I also wish I could do a better job explaining the phenomenal experience I had tonight, but I did my best.

Besiktas held off Manchester United (which was pretty impressive!) until the 76th minute, when Man U scored a beautiful rebound goal. Besiktas had a few chances, but just couldn't manage to put one in the back of the net. Though, I feel that I did my part by cheering as loud as I could, in English. All the Turkish fans around us kept staring, but I didn't care. I figured the louder I cheer, the better the chances were that Besiktas would score - right? Too bad it didn't quite work, darn!

Well I have to get up for class in 5 hours so I am off to bed! This will definitely be an experience I will never forget for the rest of my life!