Please Pardon Our Disease Infested Mess...

As anyone who has seen me in all my fanatical glory at a local sporting event could tell you, I generally tend to deny the existence of any boundary or limit to what may be said in reference to an opposing team and its fans. However, as an Italian Court found, some people beg to differ.

Really? "indignant and deeply hurt"? Is that all it takes to get roughly $2,300 these days?

Perhaps the Inter fans pushed the envelope a little, but haven't we already outlined the procedure for this type of situation? I feel certain the Napoli fans are required to respond in kind with similar signage striking at the weak spots of the Inter fans. Just like everyone else, the Milanese must have skeletons in their closets.

Example: Milan - deoderant free since '63

Putting this in American terms, this becomes even more absurd. Imagine if a New Jersey resident were to take the Dallas Cowboys to court due to their abusive fans referencing the "Armpit of America." I'm sure a Jersey resident would have taken a different course of action. Take for example a particular such resident, with noted Neopolitan ancestry, Paulie Walnuts. Fuhgidabowdit!

The best example of this stateside is the Missouri - Kansas rivalry. Largely unnoticed nationally until last season when both teams were surprisingly good, these two groups of fans draw the history of their rivalry back to Civil War Era tensions. Consider the fine had Inter fans celebrated a systematic execution of every Neopolitan males during their nation's most turbulent times.

Instead of taking legal action, Jayhawk fans kept their response in context. Granted, this is an extreme example, and I'm hardly sanctioning this level of fan antagonism. Further, I'm sure the Italian Court's decision was motivated by a desire to quell hooliganism, largely absent from American college sports(aside from post-victory riots of course).

My point here is that there are plenty of ways to respond to rival fans without involving the judicial system. And let's be honest here, if you've got this goin' on in your hometome, maybe you deserve some public embarrassment. But, I digress.

In other news, the season starts Saturday (v. potential league upstart Sunderland), and Champions League qualifying beings Wednesday (v. Standard Liege... "whooooo's heeeeeee"). I'm excited.