That's not football!

It may not be football as I know it, but the fans of Euro football are just as wild, if not crazier, than any hooping, hollering college football fan I’ve ever seen! After recovering from the shock of the sheer amount of fans filling a three-story sports bar in Times Square (it was packed to capacity with a waiting line outside!), and then adjusting my eyes to the over-abundance of orange (the color of the Dutch national team), I found myself wound up in the frenzy of the soccer game along with all the misplaced Europeans – groaning at a missed play, singing along to Dutch-spoken cheers, and high-fiving when the ball rolled our way.

Even with a full understanding of the magnitude of this Euro 2008 quarter-final game (it’s only played every four years, don't ya know!), I was still not prepared for the celebration that ensued at each goal. After shrinking to the wall to protect my head from flying objects and my camera from spewing beer during the celebration of the first goal, I was embarrassed at my skinny-boy reaction to the rowdy jubilation. I am, after all, a southern girl who knows how to cheer at a football game! At the next goal I joined in the euphoria of group hugging and jumping, and I even took a beer soaking with the same grace you’d expect from a well-mannered European who just received a splash in the face during tea time.

Click here for a full gallery of photos: http://gallery.mac.com/rebeccamummert/100015