Roma- Lazio rivalry

There are two professional soccer teams from Rome in the Italian Serie A. They are AS Roma and SS Lazio. While AS Roma has been the more popular and successful team over the years, there is still quite a decent divide in the loyalties of Romans. I remember on my first day here I asked my cab driver, which of the two teams he preferred, his response was, “Two teams? There are not two teams in Rome. Only AS Roma”. It was clear where his loyalties lied. Another time, when I was taking a taxi to the game, I asked my driver what he thought of AS Roma’s team this year. He answered, “No Roma, Lazio, Lazio, Lazio!”, while making quasi-fascist salutes. Needless to say, Romans have one favorite hometown team and one only. The two teams play against each other twice a year in a game called the Roma Derby. These games are always sold out and are unfortunately the backdrops for violence and vandalism. The rivalry continues to ignite passions in scores of Romans.