Super Fans: La Barra 51
By: Alan | September 22nd, 2008
Every team has it’s supporters, they’re the 12th man on the field, the last one to lose hope no matter what the score, the reason why home games matter. Yes, every club has it’s supporters, but in my very biased opinion Atlas has one thing no other team has, la 51.
In Mexican and Latin American football a barra is an über group of supporters, similar to European ultras. Of all the barras in Mexican football, Atlas is blessed with one of the baddest, toughest, most relentless barras, this is the history of La Barra 51.
La Barra 51 takes it’s name from the last and only year Atlas won the domestic league, 1951. They were formed in March of 1998 with the intention to support their team in a new way.
It all started with five men, all with hilarious nicknames like: Zambo, Huevo, El Rollo, La Pitaya Ye-Ye, and Bob Patiño, started with one chant. “My life for a championship”
These five men quickly got a following, La 51 was joined by a number of bands and also by another existing barra, Pasión Rojinegra. In little less than a year what started off as five men became a huge collective of fans and people started noticing. They received help from local TV channels for travel and the beer company Corona helped them in making a 30 X 15 meter banner.
Currently La 51 is a collective of more than 1,000 people who game in and game out they come to the stadium with the mentality that you never give up, and never sit down while Atlas is on the field.
Recently La 51 was able to exercise their collective power and after disagreeing with a lot of decisions coming from the head office, they showed up to games in half force and singing a new type of chant, one that asked for the head of the club President, who recently announced that he would not be running for re-election.
According to various fan polls, Atlas has consistently been shown to be the fifth most supported team in Mexico, behind Chivas, America, Pumas and Cruz Azul but ahead of more successful teams like Pachuca and Toluca.
So, how committed is La 51 to Atlas? Here’s one of their favorite chants “Y gritando que soy del Atlas voy a morir”
“And screaming that I’m with Atlas I will die”
Category: Atlas Team News
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Comments
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I heard a little about this from one of the commentators once during a match. They just said they never sat down and always passionately cheered for their team wherever they were, what a bunch of supporters!
Posted from
United States
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Barra 51 is definately considered amongst the best in the Americas but Pumas’ barra is still the best in all of Mexico
ORGULLO AZUL Y OROPosted from
United States -
ARRIBA LA AKADEMIA, 51 SOY HASTA LA MUERTE
Posted from
United States -
im stoked that you wrote this, nice to get some recognition once in a while
did you see all the 51 during the clasico? jeeeeeesus, been a while since ive seen that many
Posted from
United States -
fuck all those barra 51 haters atlas till i die
Posted from
United States -
You can say what you want, but for a club that hasn’t won silverware since 51, la barra shows what true fans are all about.
Posted from
United States -
thats whats up baby ATLAS all the way baby to the bone
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United States -
I went with the barra 51, 3 times and it is cool. AWANTE la 51
Posted from
United States -
AWNT 51
*****AWNT SALINAS*****
GDL ES DE ATLASPosted from
United States -
no saben en que hotel el atlas va a estar para la interliga 2009 en Los Angeles, California
Posted from
United States
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