Redmarsh Hostage Crisis

Redmarsh Hostage Crisis
Part of Saint Augustine Crosstown Rivalry
Date September 30, 1979 Location Redmarsh Stadium, Broadmoore, Saint Augustine Province, Maximusian Republic Result 103 arrests, "Big Red" recovered, Saint Augustine FC suspended for one season, Broadmoore FC suspended for one season
Belligerents
Broadmoore FC	Saint Augustine FC
Strength
"Big Red" (duck) hundreds of supporters around 30 players and staff	hundreds of supporters around 30 players and staff
Casualties and losses
"Big Red" kidnapped (recovered) Broadmoore FC suspended from league numerous arrests numerous NLT injuries Broadmoore GM fired	Saint Augustine FC suspended from league numerous arrests numerous NLT injuries Saint Augustine GM fired

The Redmarsh Hostage Crisis is the tongue and cheek name for a massive sports riot which occurred during (and resulted in the cancellation of) a 1979 regular season football match between Broadmoore FC and Saint Augustine FC. The event has been charictarized as similtaneously the most notorious and destructive incident of drunken hooliganism and the most ill-conceived publicity stunt in the history of Maximusian football. In their first head-to-head regular-season match of the 1979 football season, a cadre of inebriated Broadmoore FC fans rushed their home-pitch (Redmarsh Stadium) after it was revealed that a Saint Augustine FC supporter had kidnapped "Big Red," the duck mascot of Broadmoore. In response, visiting Saint Augustine FC supporters took the field to defend their players, leading to a massive brawl. Despite over a hundred arrests and numerous hospitalizations, no lives were lost during the fight and, surprisingly, "Big Red" was returned unharmed to the Broadmoore locker room. Following police investigation, it was revealed that Broadmoore and Saint Augustine managers had conspired to stage Big Red's kidnapping in order to revitalize the rivalry between the crosstown teams. Both teams were given a one year suspension by the Maximusian League of Association Football for the conspiracy and both teams' GMs were fired, but no club officials were indicted criminally.

Background

Broadmoore and Saint Augustine are twin cities in northern Libertas Omnium Maximus, separated by the Marshal River. Both cities also host their own MLAF clubs, Broadmoore Football Club and Saint Augustine Football Club, two of the oldest teams in the MLAF. A twin-city rivalry, naturally emerged between the two teams in the mid 20th century. In the late 1970s, consistently poor performance by both teams seriously eroded attendance. By the end of the 1978-79 season, Saint Augustine and Broadmoore languished at the bottom of the league, suffering humiliating defeat after humiliating defeat and narrowly avoiding relegation. By April, both teams played in nearly empty stadiums. In order to boost attendance, Redmarsh, Broadmoore's home stadium, instituted major discounts on beer at their concession stands for the 1979-1980 season. The team also adopted a portly merganser duck, nicknamed "Big Red," as their official mascot.

Cultural Impact

In 1987, director and satirist Andy Waterson released a mocumentary memorializing the event entitled "Operation Big Red." Parodying the then-popular Maximusian film trend of releasing cheaply made, gory biopics based on Great War narratives, the film follows the fictional account of a Broadmoore supporter and his two adolescent sons as they attempt to fight their way through the massive Redmarsh brawl and secure Big Red from the Saint Augustine locker room. The film released to critical acclaim.

By 1999, both teams were reinstated and made their way back into the MLAF's top league. To commemorate the 20th anniversary of the brawl, a charity exhibition rematch (benefiting Broadmoore emergency services) was hosted on September 30, 1999. Saint Augustine won the match 2-3, and the entire Saint Augustine roster reportedly feasted on curried duck that evening to spite Broadmoore.