Paris exploded in celebration as France beat Belgium 1-0 to make it to the finals of the FIFA World Cup 2018. The streets were packed with supporters and fans celebrating a hard fought victory, and the party was headed deep into the night.

These kind of celebrations are so common in most sports, and truly amazing to be part of. Fans show their passion and love for their teams, and mixed with ecstatic emotions, alcohol, and large numbers, things are known to get out of hand quickly. That is exactly what happened in Paris. 

You could see and hear the fireworks, flares, screams and shouts in the streets. Car horns and chants of victory echoed through downtown. 

Things turned a bit more aggressive as the celebration rolled on. Soon chants and laughter turned to vandalism and fights, until the police in riot gear were forced to intervene. 

Once rioting and mob mentality takes hold of a crowd, it can be very difficult to tame the crowd, let alone stop the madness. It took tear gas to slow the rioting groups, and finally bring the party to end.


A similar scene erupted after the Philadelphia Eagles won the Super Bowl. Philly fans turned to vandalism, fires, and destroying public and private property to show their support for their team. 

It’s pretty easy to understand how massive fan gatherings of a single team can grow out of control after a major win. Passion fuels sports, and sports fuel passion. It’s an incredible thing when people come together, but try to keep it cool!