Pass Ed's Living Textbook
Free Lesson Plans for Teachers
Alpha Stage
Empty Stadiums
February 9, 2007





The New York Times is running an article entitled, "Soccer in Italy to
Resume, With Stadiums Vacant."

The article begins, "Italy announced on Thursday a novel compromise
between this nation’s love of soccer and violence at games: Matches
can resume this weekend, a week after a police officer was killed at a
riotous match in Sicily, but most can be played only if the stadiums
are empty of spectators."

Spectators will be allowed entry into a few stadiums which have met
security requirements imposed several years ago. According to the
article, "Owners, with much money at stake, are begging that at least
season-ticket holders be admitted to stadiums not in compliance with
the security requirements."
Read the Article!!


Discussion-Starters for Younger Children

  • Have your students ever been to a major sports game? Did they
    like it? Ask them what it would have felt like to be at the game
    (or a school assembly) if there was not a single other fan there.
  • Consider asking students to draw pictures of a sporting
    game in which they emphasize the absence of fans.

  • Ask your students if they can think of anything that has two
    different names. Why would the same thing be called different
    names?
  • Ask students to identify objects in your classroom that
    have more than one name. Consider asking students to
    create labels for those objects.

  • Do your students think it would be fun to be great at sports if
    nobody would watch them play or cheer for them? Why/why
    not?

  • Have your students ever thought that they were playing with
    somebody but then found out that the person was really mad at
    them and didn't like them? How did this make them feel? Why?
  • Also ask your students what they do with their friends
    that makes them feel good. Students could develop skits
    in which they show things that they like to do with their
    friends.



Discussion-Starters for Older Children

  • Vocabulary terms to discuss: Compromise; Riotous;
    Compliance; and, Deemed.

  • Ask: How could civilized people allow riots to break out at
    sports games? Can we learn anything from these riots, and
    those that occur in the United States, about the nature of
    humans?
  • Consider asking students to respond to these questions
    in writing.

  • Pose: Imagine that the Prime Minister of Italy asked you for
    advice. Politically he must maintain the support of soccer team
    owners to remain in office. These team owners don't want to
    ban fans from the stadiums, since they generate a lot of
    revenue. But horrible violence occurs inside the stadium. What
    should he do?
  • Students could develop their responses in groups of two
    or three. Encourage students to question whether the
    Prime Minister is likely to put his own interests first or
    those of his country-men.

  • According to the newspaper article, one team president said,
    “The problem isn’t resolved with the list of stadiums that are
    adequate to receive the public and those that aren’t - before
    resolving the problem of security in the buildings, it is
    necessary to resolve the security in Italy.” Ask your students
    what they think this sentence might mean. Can they think of a
    analogous situation in the United States?
  • Consider using these questions as prompts for class
    discussion.

  • The article lists Italian cities with football stadiums. As a longer
    research project, consider asking students to develop a travel
    itinerary through Italy in which they visited every stadium.
    What kinds of people are they likely to meet? What types of
    historical sites will they pass by? etc.
If you like these
lesson ideas
you'll love our
newsletter!!
Learn More!!
Google