The 25 Craziest Sports Fan Stories of All Time

Sometimes, being a sports fan can be a crazy thing. Whether we decide to dress up, scream our brains out, or even throw blows because of our favorite team, levels of fanaticism across most major sports can border on terrifying. We often forget that, at the end of the day, the thing we're getting so worked up over is just a game. Instead, our beloved clubs, athletes, and coaches become lifestyles. They're things which must be protected and maintained and guarded fiercely.

There are times when this protective behavior becomes too intense. There are times when it becomes misguided. There are times when it becomes strange and uncomfortable. For example, consider the Baltimore Ravens fans who decided that it would be a good idea to wear their Ray Rice jerseys out to last week's match-up between the Baltimore Ravens and the Pittsburgh Steelers, ignoring every definition of good taste in the process. It's stuff like this that makes you snap your head back and say, "WTF?"

But these moments aren't all bad. We also have to recognize the moments when being a fan gave us a small miracle or a welcome tradition. There is a wide spectrum of fandom across the world, and an equally large range of crazy. And as we've dug around to unearth every insane moment in sports, we've come together with a list of The 25 Craziest Sports Fan Stories of All Time. Whether dealing with destruction, weird pranks, life-saving moments, or head-shaking devotion, these are all the moments when our fandom becomes unbelievable, both for better and for worse.

Date: 2/1/2012

Location: Goodison Park, Liverpool, England

Teams involved: Everton, Manchester City

In terms of protests, soccer fan John Foley certainly thought of an elaborate way to stage his own when the 46-year-old Brit was trying to get the attention of European airline Ryanair. Saying that the company had been treating his daughter unfairly after they refused to give her a job, Foley tied himself to a goalpost in Goodison Park during Everton's home match against Manchester City in 2012. The match had to be delayed because of his actions.

It's unclear what an airline has to do with English Premier League soccer, but Foley certainly gained attention for his protest with this stunt. Unfortunately, the company continues to deny any wrong-doing on their part regarding his daughter.

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Date: 11/10/2011

Location: State College, PA

Team involved: Penn State University

Amidst allegations of sexual misconduct mounting against former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky and rumors that higher-ups within the football program had some knowledge regarding his conduct, Penn State University’s board of directors decided to terminate the contract of head football coach Joe Paterno back in 2011.

The move made sense considering that Sandusky's story was being followed nationally and Sandusky had once been a long-time member of Paterno's staff. Paterno was at least partially culpable. Unfortunately, Nittany Lions fans were unwilling to listen to any sort of criticism against their beloved JoePA. So, what better way to react to reason than with destruction? That’s the course thousands of Nittany Lions fans took when they stormed downtown State College, PA, tearing down lampposts and flipping a media van in the process. It wasn't the best look for Penn State fans considering the circumstances.



Recently, Penn State fans doubled-down on their devotion when they cheered Joe Paterno's name after the NCAA's bowl sanctions against the university were prematurely lifted.



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Location: Sydney, Australia

Date: 2/8/1879

Teams involved: New South Wales, England

If you think you get mad about the referees, the Sydney Riot of 1879 will make you realize just how tame you are in comparison to fans of old. Triggered by a controversial call during a cricket match between England and New South Wales, fans took the pitch in Sydney on February 8, 1879, storming the field in an ugly fashion and assaulting the visiting Englishmen. Two thousand spectators would take place in the brawl. Luckily, the English players only suffered minor injuries.

The riot itself has been chalked up to two factors: gamblers in the area who had bet on New South Wales, and colonial tensions between England and Australia. Certain reports claim that local gamblers had placed money against England, and when the English started to surge ahead in the match, the gamblers used the bad umpiring as an excuse to incite riots in order to call the bets off. The colonial angle cites a long-brewing disdain between the two sides that had finally reached a boiling point.

Whatever the reason, the match would eventually resume on the following Monday, February 10. England won the match-up.

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Date: 3/17/1955

Location: The Montreal Forum, Montreal, Quebec

Teams involved: Detroit Red Wings, Montreal Canadiens

​Hockey is a bloody sport as it is, but one of the game's most infamous incidents had nothing to do with cross-checks or slapshots. In 1955, after NHL commissioner Clarence Campbell had suspended beloved Montreal Canadiens player Maurice Richard for the remainder of the season due to an incident in Boston, Montreal fans decided to let the commissioner know how they felt when he decided to attend a Canadiens game shortly after the suspension had been announced.

Fans threw food at Campbell, and one even went so far as to slap him. As a result of their unruliness, arena security reacted by throwing tear gas into the crowd, quickly dispersing the spectators, and prematurely ending the game. The visiting Red Wings were awarded a victory.

At the end of the fiasco, Campbell called it, "a most unfortunate thing," before quickly adding that, "it could have been a lot worse.”

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Date: 5/3/2014

Location: Arruda Stadium, Recife, Brazil

Teams involved: ​Santa Cruz, Parana

Death is a tragic and unfortunate affair, no matter the circumstances. And, if anything, it's only more painful when it happens in a disrespectful fashion. The untimely end of Paulo Ricardo Gomes da Silva—a Brazilian soccer fan watching a match at Arruda Stadium back in May—would qualify.

When fan rioting took over a 1-1 match between second-division clubs Santa Cruz and Parana, a toilet bowl was inexplicably tossed from the stands, hitting da Silva and killing him instantly. He was just 26-years-old. In all, 40 fans were arrested during the riot, which took place in a city that would host a number of World Cup matches later in the summer.



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Date: 6/13/1924

Location: Navin Field, Detroit

Teams involved: Detroit Tigers, New York Yankeess

Baseball is no stranger to intense brawls or over-the-top riots. And it's been that way for as long as the game has been around. For example, consider the riot that took place between the New York Yankees and Detroit Tigers in 1924 after the Tigers, down 10-6 in the ninth inning, decided to intentionally bean one of New York's players.

What started as a brawl between the players (including names like Babe Ruth and Ty Cobb) eventually erupted into a stadium-wide nightmare, as hundreds of fans took to the field and started trading blows. Thankfully, local police were eventually able to subdue the spectators, though it took them awhile to do so. One fan even ended up getting punched out by an umpire. Can you imagine a worse fate as a sports fan?

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Date: 2004-Present

Location: Numerous (includes the FIFA World Cup in South Africa, the French Open, and the 2007 Champions League Final)

Teams involved: Again, numerous (includes the Memphis Grizzlies, FC Barcelona, and the Dutch national soccer team)

Jumping onto the field can be annoyance for everyone except the person who is doing it. The antic stops the game for both teams, and forces the crowd to watch some moron who just wanted a bit of attention. However, when it comes to the practice, few are as prolific and well-intentioned as Jimmy Jump.

Hailing from Sabadell, Spain, the European streaker has become famous for his disruptive tactics to get on any playing surface in the world. Whether tennis, basketball, Formula One Racing, or soccer, Jimmy Jump has been everywhere in the sports world (though, the Super Bowl is conspicuously absent from his résumé).

The point of Jump's theatrics is to raise awareness for racial inequality (he always wears a t-shirt which bears the phrase "Jimmy Jump Against Racism"), which is certainly more noble than most streakers out to disrupt a game. Still, though, it's pretty amazing that this guy has managed to keep this entire production up. How have stadium officials not found a consistent way to keep him out of their arenas by now?

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Date: 6/4/1977

Location: Wembley Stadium, London

Teams involved: England, Scotland

Tensions between Scotland and England are at an all-time high right now, so in honor of Scotland's increasing push for independence, let's go back to Wembley Stadium in 1977. After their fellow Scots scored a 2-1 victory over the normally dominant English side, Scottish fans ran down onto the field to grab themselves some long-lasting mementos of the triumph.

Grabbing field turf, and hanging from the crossbars like kids at a jungle gym, Scottish fans turned Wembley's pitch into their own personal playground. They didn't want the simple memory of winning, they wanted to feel it in every blade of grass. You have to admire their passion.

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Date: 9/19/2011

Location: Råsunda Stadium, Stockholm, Sweden

Teams involved: Djurgården, AIK

​Fed up with what they felt was a hurtful environment toward soccer fans and facing "collective punishment" stadium officials, Swedish spectators in Stockholm decided to stage a silent protest during a 2011 match between the Swedish clubs, Djurgården and AIK. For the first 10 minutes of the match, the fans in attendance were nearly noiseless, creating an eerie and unexpected playing environment uncommon to world football.

However, as the match progressed, a group of fans known as the Black Army eventually broke ranks from the silent protestors and showed why stadium officials were perhaps so wary of them in the first place. Firecrackers and flares popped off during the match, suspending play and forcing the players to their respective locker rooms. So, essentially, fans who were out to prove how important their presence was to the game, ultimately ended up showing how much of a detriment they are to it. Good job all around, everyone.

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Date: November 2010

Location: Toomer's Corner, Auburn, Alabama

Teams involved: Auburn Tigers, Alabama Crimson Tide

The Auburn Tigers and the Alabama Crimson Tide have one of the most intense rivalries in college football, but a Bama fan by the name of Harvey Updyke Jr. took the tradition to an entirely new level when he poisoned Auburn's beloved oak trees at Toomer's Corner in 2010. Commonly revered as a place for celebration following any Auburn victory, the oaks had been a part of the university's campus for over a century.

However, in January of 2011, after Auburn had secured a national championship with the help of Cam Newton, Updyke called into a regional radio show run by ESPN to let show's audience know that he had administered a severe tree poison to the famous oaks. He revealed that the poisoning had taken place following Alabama's loss in the 2010 Iron Bowl, and he punctuated his called by saying, "Roll Damn Tide." What a good sport.

Updyke was eventually found by the police and arrested for his actions on the charge of criminal mischief. As a result, he was given a 3 year split sentence, 5 years supervised probation, and was banned from the Auburn campus and from attending any collegiate sports event. For his damages to the trees (which were removed in 2013 after attempts to save them proved unsuccessful), Updyke was ordered to pay nearly $800K in restitution to the university. As of last week, Updyke had only been able to pay $99 of his fine.

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Date: October 1986-April 1998

Location: The Capital Centre, Washington D.C.

Teams involved: Washington Bullets, opposing NBA teams

Armed with a megaphone and a unique talent for heckling, Washington Bullets super fan Robin Ficker made a name for himself in the NBA as a factor against visiting teams. Ficker held season tickets to Bullets games for twelve years, seating him directly behind the opposing team’s bench, and putting players and coaches within earshot of his creative taunts and jeers.

Whether it involved making fun of a player’s hair or a coach’s outfit, Ficker was game. He’d even read the sex passages in Phil Jackson’s autobiography Maverick whenever the Bulls came to town. His prowess in the stands was so well recognized that Charles Barkley flew him to Phoenix to give the Suns an edge against the Chicago Bulls during the 1993 NBA Finals. Ficker chose not to renew his season tickets after the Bullets relocated to the MCI Center in 1997, as he would be seated too far from the visitor’s bench. He can now be found displaying his talents at wrestling matches at the University of Maryland.



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Date: 8/11/2009

Location: Santa Cruz, Bolivia

Teams involved: Blooming, River Plateafter

What do you do when your favorite team is losing at home and you happen to be at the stadium? Most people would probably jeer at the players for few seconds then go buy a beer. Not soccer fans. They run on to the field armed with a knife and assault an opposing player.

That’s what went down in August 2009, when a Bolivian fan went for Uruguay’s Henry Gimenez (pictured above) after Uruguay took a 1-0 lead. Thankfully, Gimenez was unhurt and referee Victor Carrillo called off the match. Unfortunately, the fans in attendance didn't see it that way. The suspended match sparked protest from spectators in attendance, as they responded by throwing objects onto the field and lighting off flares. As if we needed more proof that soccer fans take their sport too seriously.

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Date: 11/24/2002

Location: Camp Nou, Barcelona

Teams involved: Barcelona, Real Madrid

Seeing a player you once loved turn coat and play for a rival team can be difficult to stomach. How do you think Red Sox fans felt when they saw Johnny Damon playing for the Yankees? Or what about Packers fans who watched Brett Favre suit up for the Minnesota Vikings? But you know what's even more difficult to stomach? A severed pig's head.

Unfortunately, one Barcelona fan felt that this would be the proper gift for Real Madrid's Luis Figo—who had defected from Barca—when the two sides were squaring off at Camp Nou in 2002. As Figo was getting ready to take a corner kick, the pork missile landed close by, among other assorted garbage thrown in his direction.

Barcelona was eventually fined €4K for the incident. Figo has remained an object for Barca fans ever since.

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Date: December 2011

Location: Denver, CO

Team involved: Denver Broncos

Remember that Tim Tebow guy? You know the one: illustrious career at Florida, first round draft pick by the Denver Broncos, saved fans from the painful ordeal that was watching Kyle Orton play. If you’re the dude who got a tattoo of him rendered as a centaur on your thigh, then you probably don’t need any reminders. Apparently, salvaging a season and making the playoffs after a 1-4 start is enough to get you immortalized as a mythical beast on somebody’s body. Probably counts as a top five accomplishment for Tebow in his NFL career.

All jokes aside, the tattoo actually came as a result of a lost bet between Broncos fan Juan Contreras and his friend Josh Lucero. The deal was that if Tebow became Denver's starting quarterback in 2011 and managed to win five or more games, then Contreras would get the tattoo. As we saw, Tebow won five games, taking the Broncos to the second round of the playoffs that season.

Despite the fact that he lost the bet, Contreras maintained a good outlook on the unfortunate ink, "Everyone who knows me knows that I don't take anything too serious, especially not a tattoo," Contreras said in 2011. "So everybody just thinks it's funny." We can't argue with that.

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Date: 6/17/2010

Location: Staples Center, Los Angeles

Teams involved: Los Angeles Lakers, Boston Celtics

Los Angeles Clippers fans must have been PISSED while watching what went down after the crosstown Lakers won the 2010 NBA Championship against the Boston Celtics. The Clips have been in the city since 1984 and at that point had never won as much as a division title. Meanwhile, the Lakers had just locked down their SIXTEENTH NBA championship and their fans decided to react to their good fortune by rioting in the streets. But, hey, a seven game series can be stressful for any diehard fan. What better way to channel all that emotion than by throwing rocks at police officers and attacking unsuspecting people outside of the Staples Center?

Indeed, it was a strange night for Lakers fans everywhere. On one hand, you had the pure ecstasy of celebration, and on the other, you had the dangerous aftermath of a party gone wrong. After the event, there were reports of smashed car windows, half-naked people running in the street, and multiple arrests. The Lakers are a proud franchise with a distinct, winning history, but this was certainly not their finest moment.

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Date: 4/12/2005

Location: San Siro Stadium, Milan, Italy

Teams involved: A.C. Milan, Inter Milan

As two of Italy's most successful teams, and sharers of the same city, A.C. Milan and Inter Milan have enjoyed a fierce rivalry for decades. However, the mutual distaste between the two sides came to a head during their 2005 Champions League match, which was called 3-0 in A.C. Milan's favor after fan rioting brought the game to an early close.

The match started out testily, as A.C. Milan's Andriy Shevchenko appeared to headbutt Inter's Marco Materazzi in the early minutes, setting a poor tone for the proceedings. But as tensions grew between players, so they did within the attending fans. All the suppressed emotion exploded late in the match when, already up 3-0, A.C. Milan was awarded a free kick in the 73rd minute, sending Inter fans to the brink. They responded to the call by bombarding the pitch with flares, one of which hit A.C. Milan's goalkeeper.

The officials called the match, ending a poor showing for Inter, and giving A.C. Milan the Champions League leg on a 2-0 aggregate victory. For failing to control their fans, Inter was forced to play their next four home games in front of an empty stadium.

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Date: 4/15/1952

Location: The Old Red Barn, Detroit

Teams involved: Detroit Red Wings, Toronto Maple Leafs

Started by Jerry and Pete Cusimano, the tradition of the Detroit octopus is one that dates all the way back to 1952, and has stayed vibrant today. Beginning during a playoff series against the Toronto Maple Leafs (which the Red Wings ended up winning), the octopus tradition has made the animal something of a team mascot for the Red Wings. It is considered an integral part of the team's success come playoff time, largely because the team won the NHL title in the same year that the Cusimanos started the practice.

Since then, the Red Wings have been one of the NHL's most prestigious franchises, and are currently amidst a 23 season playoff streak, giving them success that is literally unprecedented in the sport. Can we thank the octopus for that? Maybe and maybe not, but regardless of whether the tradition actually brings good luck, why would Detroit fans want to mess with the good thing they have going? It's certainly an unorthodox way to express your fandom, but thanks to an eight-legged cephalopod, the Cusimanos are basically patron saints in Detroit.

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Date: 7/11/1996

Location: Madison Square Garden, New York City

Athletes involved: Riddick Bowe, Andrew Golota

Ending with 10 arrests, eight injured cops, and nine hospitalized fans, the 1996 heavyweight fight between Andrew Golota and Riddick Bowe took an unexpected turn when the fight was called at the end of the seventh round. Golota had been disqualified by the official for multiple hits below the belt, and Bowe was declared the winner.

Apparently, the victory wasn't enough for some people in Bowe's crew, though. Coming toward Golota's corner, one of Bowe's people threw a punch at Golota's entourage. Out of nowhere, the punch sparked a massive brawl, bringing opposing fans to the ring in a giant melee. Golota's 74-year-old trainer collapsed and was taken to the hospital. It was, by all accounts, a disaster.

Eventually the brawl was broken up. Later, Bowe and Golota would face off again in a rematch of their infamous showdown. Once again, Bowe won as a result of Golota's disqualification. Thankfully, there were no extra-curricular fights in the immediate aftermath.

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Date: 1/13/2014

Location: Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin

Teams involved: Green Bay Packers, New York Giants

The level of dedication that Green Bay Packers fans have for their home team is, at this point, insane. When a tremendous snow storm threatened to postpone the NFC Championship Game between the Packers and the visiting New York Giants in 2012, the Green Bay community rallied together to shovel out Lambeau Field in time for that Sunday's game. Granted, they were paid $10/hour for their services, but it's still impressive that 1250 people showed up to help out. Unfortunately for many, the Packers could only take 400 volunteers.

Even worse for Green Bay fans, the Giants ended up taking the Packers to the woodshed, winning the game 37-20. Maybe they should've kept some of that snow around. Clearly, any home-field advantage would've helped.

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Date: 4/20/1974

Location: Twickenham Stadium, London

Teams involved: England, France

Few fans have as lasting an impact on the sporting world as Michael O’Brien. In a 1974 rugby match between England and France at Twickenham Stadium in London, the 25-year-old Aussie became the first to streak on the field at a sporting event, all thanks to a bet from his friend.

The police were more amused than mad and even allowed him to return to his seat for the second half. News and pictures from the match spread, inspiring others to do the same around Europe and America. So, whenever you see a streaker, remember that you have Michael O’Brien to thank.

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Date: 9/11/1995

Location: Soldier Field, Chicago

Teams involved: Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers

Watching Packers kicker Chris Jacke ready himself for an extra point attempt, Chicago Bears fan Mike Pantazis already had two feet on the wall between the stands and the field by the time Jacke was setting up for the kick. Then, as the ball sails through the uprights, we witness the greatest feat of athleticism ever displayed on a PAT: Pantazis jumping from the stands and making a catch in midair above the player's entrance. It has to be one of the best snags in Bears history.

The act got the attention of play-by-play announcers John Madden and Al Michaels, who called it, "a classic". Since the event, Pantazis has even inspired a six-minute-long mini-documentary titled Off Into Space. The tail-end of 1995 must’ve been a pretty good four months for Pantazis.

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Date: 4/28/1923

Location: Wembley Stadium, London

Teams involved: Bolton Wanderers, West Ham United

It was the 1923 FA Cup Final, and fans of the Bolton Wanderers and West Ham United were eager to see whose team would come out on top in the deciding showdown. Held at Wembley Stadium, which had an official capacity of roughly 125K, the game was overflowing with people. Some estimates ranged the attendance at nearly 300K. Simply put, this was not going to end well.

Because the fans were packed so tightly in the stands, they eventually spilled onto the pitch, delaying the start of the match until everyone could be cleared out. The event is called the "White Horse Final" because mounted policeman were eventually called onto the scene to shepherd spectators out of the stadium. The match began nearly an hour late, but when it did start, Bolton looked no worse for wear. The Wanderers won the match 2-0, and today, the event is commemorated at Wembley Stadium by the White Horse Bridge, a footbridge built in 2006 that takes fans from the Wembley railway station to the stadium.

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Date: 3/25/2012

Location: MDCC-Arena, Magdeburg, Germany

Teams involved: FC Magdeburg, Berliner AK '07

Sometimes the athletes on the field need a little bit of help from the fans. The Seattle Seahawks have CenturyLink Field and the roaring 12th man. The Oklahoma City Thunder have Chesapeake Energy Arena and a crowd that provides a college-like atmosphere of enthusiasm. And FC Magdeburg has MDCC-Arena and fans with colored cardboard arrows showing players where the goal is.

After watching their team go five consecutive matches without a goal in 2012, the Magdeburg fans arrived at the stadium with brightly colored arrows in an attempt to show the players where to kick the ball. Because, clearly, they needed the help. The stunt actually worked with ten minutes left in the match, but FC Magdeburg still lost 2-1. At least 50 percent of the fans who held arrows still think that they were responsible for that goal.

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Date: 6/13/2014

Location: Centerline, MI

Team involved: Detroit Lions



When your team is just a few seasons removed from literally the worst finish in the history of the NFL, it's more than a little foolish to get a tattoo predicting their Super Bowl victory for the upcoming season. But, despite conventional wisdom, Detroit Lions fan David Morian decided that getting such a tattoo for his beloved team would be a good idea. His inspiration was an extremely lucky Seattle Seahawks fan who had a similar tattoo inked before the beginning of the 2013-14 regular season.



"I saw that out in Seattle and I thought it was pretty neat," Morian said. "I love the Lions; I always have. So I figured why not see if it will turn things around."



Dude, we hate to break it to you, but it ain't happening.

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Date: 3/17/2012

Location: White Hart Lane, Tottenham, London

Teams involved: Tottenham Hotspurs, Bolton Wanderers

The Tottenham Hotspurs and Bolton Wanderers were 43 minutes into their match on March 17, 2012, when tragedy struck. Bolton's Fabrice Muamba suddenly collapsed, sending the crowd and his fellow players into a panic. Officially, Muamba's heart was stopped for 78 minutes. It would have been longer if one spectator in the crowd hadn't been around to save him.

Dr. Andrew Deaner, a Spurs fan and consultant cardiologist, was in attendance that day, watching the game with his brothers. But when he saw Muamba collapse, he became more than just a fan. Working with the medical staff on-hand at the match, Deaner made sure that Muamba received the proper medical attention for his sudden cardiac arrest, telling the medical and the ambulance drivers to take Muamba to Deaner's hospital, London Chest, instead of the nearby hospital, Northern Middlesex.

If not for the quick thinking on Deaner's part, Muamba wouldn't have been able to receive the proper medical equipment he needed. However, the now-retired footballer lives on today, saved by one, fateful fan.

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