It was a beautiful sunny Sunday afternoon, the perfect setting for the first national soccer game held in Tampa in 12 years. The electrified crowd of just over 30 thousand set an attendance record for an exhibition game held in the state of Florida. Cultures were set to collide, as the US Men's National team took on Ecuador at Raymond James Stadium.

      The wife and I, not knowing what to expect, were impressed with the number, and spirit of the Ecuadorian fans. Large groups of yellow shirts were abundant and popped out in the sea of spectators. We were nearly surrounded, but it was great. We had a lot of fun trying to recognize Spanish expletives. We only knew a couple, but managed to come up with some pretty good guesses for the rest. There was one really excited Ecuadorian fan sitting right in front of me. He was sporting body paint, a flag, the whole nine yards. His companion, who was a little less fanatical, was quick to disclaim him to avoid any associative embarrassment. He eventually embraced his friend's fanatical behavior and would turn and share a laugh with us when he acted a fool. It was all quite entertaining. The super fan also supplied us with most of the Spanish lesson previously mentioned.

      Heckling a sporting event can be very tricky, too much and you annoy everyone around you, too little and your motives may be questioned. We were fortunate to be sitting a few rows in front of some very talented hecklers. This actually helped supplement the game quite nicely, occurring towards the end of the game when the action had slowed down a tad. It began by one shouting "shoot it" when the ball was midfield, typically not a place to shoot from. This was a classic example of the One Liner Heckle that nearly anyone can enjoy. It was masterfully executed during a perfect lull in action. It was repeated two more times, each spaced perfectly apart so as to lure the audience back into complacency, then BAM "Shoot It!". Bravo. Needless to say it went over well in our section.

      Another followed suit and tried something a little more aggressive: The Referenced Heckle. This one is targeted for a particular audience group with some particular background knowledge. He began by shouting "X button!" when the player needed to shoot the ball. This was the equivalent x-box/playstation button command for taking a shot on goal. It was followed by another when a player missed the perfect pass opportunity where he shouted "B button, hit the B button". It didn't receive quite the same reaction as the One Liner, yet the wife and I with some FIFA 2003 experience both shared a laugh.

      In my opinion no sporting event would be complete without the superfan, or comedic heckler. My hat goes off to those who set dignity and pride aside and fulfill these noble duties. Thanks Superfan, Thank you Comedic Heckler.

Insert: Hilarious Bud Light "Real Men of Genius" ad here

Also, you could insert this also. I love this. :)