[calenel]

American Football crowds just produce "white noise" or the occaisional chant of "de-fence"

Nonsense. 'American Football' crowds are actual participants in the game. The crowd helps the home team with noise to disrupt the opposing offense, often resulting in failed plays and penalties for the 'enemy' team, or forcing them to take a time out in order to get the play they want. The crowd also quiets down when the home team has the ball. Some stadiums are notorious as 'hard' places to play because the fans are so tough on the visiting team. That's where the term 'twelfth man' comes from - 11 players on the field plus the crowd. That's why you hear about 'taking the crowd out of it' when the visiting team does something to discourage the crowd.

[Wil H]

I'm sorry, but by your own response you prove my point. Football crowds make white noise to harrass the opposition and are quiet when their own team are attacking. They have some effect, but not much.

Soccer crowds cheer on their team and American crowd noise is insignificant compared to that of a large soccer crowd, I know, I have been part of many of both.

To hear 60,000 people sing "you'll never walk alone" or "Land of Hope and Glory" is amazing, This huge sound rolls down off the terraces and reverberates around the stadium until the echo collides with the ongoing song.

Or go to Galatasaray in Turkey where the crowd sings non stop for 90 minutes. Even when they lose 0-5 they are still singing at the final whistle.

They don't need bands, organs, scoreboard prompting or a Public Address System to create a cauldron of noise at a soccer match. The crowd does it on it's own.