Why people recommend it
Among the Thugs by Bill Buford is a journalistic exploration of sports fanaticism, crowd psychology, and soccer hooliganism. The book has been referenced by various notable public figures on popular podcasts. Bill Burr mentioned reading the text on the Monday Morning Podcast as a way to learn about football hooligans and prepare for a trip to perform in Manchester. On SmartLess, Will Arnett brought up the book while reflecting on personal experiences with soccer fan culture during his youth, using Buford's work as a narrative reference point. Similarly, Sam Harris discussed the title during an appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience alongside Joe Rogan, touching upon the themes of aggressive crowd dynamics and extreme sports fandom that Buford documented during his deep immersion into the world of violent British soccer fans decades prior.
Who recommended it
- Bill Burr Discussed
- Sam Harris Discussed
Bill Burr — 1 mention
“and the only thing I I knew about them was that book that I read I can't remember if I brought this up Thursday I read that book among the thugs where they was an old uh American Journal journalist”
Sam Harris — 1 mention
“uh among the thugs by Bill Buford he um it's probably 20 25 years ago”
Mentioned on the show without a named speaker — 1
“I've done that a few times—for me, Twitter—Bill Buford called 'Among the Thugs,' which is about— I don't know if you've read about that!”
Also mentioned in the same episodes
Other mentions (1: passing, ad reads, own books)
“I read among the thugs and to me that was Manchester he said I wanted to send you my team of drinks”