Soccer fans, far and away, are the most passionate sports fans you will ever meet. Turn on any game on Saturday or Sunday morning for the English Premier League and you will find stadiums filled to the brim with club supporters singing the song of their local team.
These people travel hundreds of miles every week to support their home team. However, soccer fans also have a stigma of being some of the most wild. Stories exist far and wide about battles taking place in stadiums, young men and women being forced into the profession as soon as they can walk, and workers being pushed to their very core to build the infrastructure to support World Cups (Brazil in 2014 most notably).
However, some events transcend the sport. During a match on Sunday between Borussia-Dortmund and Mainz, teams in the top half of the Bundesliga German league, two supporters of Borussia collapsed during the competition. Sadly, one of the two did not get an opportunity to continue on in life, passing away at the age of 80. He was suspected of having a heart attack. The other individual is currently in stable condition.
Soccer is sometimes called the "beautiful game" because of the incredible skill required to play. On Sunday, soccer became a beautiful game for another reason. All 80,000 plus fans stayed in near silence for the entire second half, and then sung "You'll Never Walk Alone" into the final whistle. Borussia released the following statement:
"During the game there were two tragic incidents in the stadium, in which two fans had to be resuscitated.
"Unfortunately one person didn't make it and has died.
"We are full of sadness and our thoughts are with their families.
"The message is reaching us from hospital that the second person appears to be stable."
Such an incredible tribute during a game from the fans in the stadium. An important message to share with our children as they embark on sports, things go above and beyond what is on the field.
Thank you to Mirror for the story and quote.