The Theater of Sport: Bill Buford Revisits Among the Thugs

In the early 1980s, Bill Buford, a young American literary editor, became fascinated by the world of soccer "hooligans." These fans were notorious for their violent and destructive behavior during matches. Buford began documenting this subculture by attending matches and immersing himself in the culture of the hooligans. His first encounter with this phenomenon occurred on a train in Wales, where he witnessed a group of chanting fans returning from a match.

This initial experience piqued his interest, and he soon found himself attending a publishing party where he discussed the scene with renowned authors Salman Rushdie and Mario Vargas Llosa. The authors encouraged Buford to write about the hooligans, prompting him to commission a journalist to cover the topic for the esteemed literary journal Granta.

Despite facing skepticism due to his American background, Buford was determined to explore this culture firsthand. He was even confronted by Mick, a well-known figure in the hooligan scene, who famously remarked, "All Americans are wankers ... and all journalists are cunts." Despite this initial setback, Buford persevered, attending a variety of matches and eventually embarking on a journey to Europe to experience the hooligans at their most intense.

His experiences and observations culminated in the publication of "Among the Thugs" in 1991, a work that provided a nuanced and unflinching look at a dark and dangerous aspect of British culture.