Balıkesirspor, Turkish for "JV High School Soccer"

N'haber, okuyucular? 

That means, "What's up, readers?" Soooo cultured.

I know I'm really late on this, but while I have your attention, if you have a few extra bucks lying around, you should consider donating a few to those in Eastern Turkey who have recently lost their loved ones and homes in the recent earthquake in the Van region. They're facing a very cold winter without shelter, and to be honest, five dollars goes a long way here in Turkey. 

Click here if you feel like checking it out.

If you don't have it, no worries, just wanted to bring it to your attention. If you have it, that would be really great and on behalf of a country I'm really growing to love, it would mean a lot.

Anyways, on to happier things...

Prior to parting ways for our bayram plans, we three Balıkesirians attended a Balıkesirspor game here in town. To give you more perspective on Turkish soccer, it's very like professional baseballs. Obviously, the best of the best teams play in the Major League, and then there are all of those smaller minor league levels and whatnot. 

In Turkey, teams like Fenerbaçhe and Galatasaray and Tranzonspor and Bursapsor are in the SuperLig, which is like the major leagues. Then there's a First League, a Second League (broken into two groups), a Third League (broken into three groups), and then a ton of little local amateur leagues. Balıkesirspor plays in the Second League. When I told my students I really wanted to go to a game, they laughed in my face. 

So, we went for a half.

And it was the most hilarious forty-five minutes of soccer I've ever watched in my life. It was comparable to a boys' JV high school game, only more dramatic... if you could imagine that. 

So, for your viewing pleasure... here are some pictures from the game. The captions are direction quotes from one of my roommates' game commentary.

"Why are all these Balikesir players all short and stubby?"

"That was a really great kick... to the other team."

"Goddamn, you're not going to call that? Even Ray Charles could've seen that one."

Oh my gosh, the end of this game. OH MY GOSH.


So, we were losing to Yeni Malatyaspor by one. And so Balıkesirspor is hustling, as well as sucking, all the way into the last few minutes, when BAM- on a corner kick, the referee red-cards the Malatyaspor goalie. THEIR GOALIE. Because we now have to take a penalty kick, the opposition picks a random defender to act as goalie.

Pissed. Off.

 And we score. This is a completely accurate description of how Balıkesir operates on a daily basis: always hustling, giving it all its got, and coming through at the last minute is a totally ridiculous and hilarious manner. And you just can't help but cheer it on.