This article is the first of a four-part series of essays on the life of unhoused people in Brno, first published in the magazine ‘Roofless’, produced by students from Masaryk University’s Faculty of Social Studies.
On the occasion of the final phases of the Czech ice hockey championship, Kometa Brno travels to face Pardubice away from home. On this day, some homeless individuals from Brno who frequent a center for alcoholics gather on the city’s main square, where the day’s match is being broadcast live.
At 6 pm under a threatening overcast sky, nearly 200 residents of Brno are gathered around a giant screen showing the hockey duel. The crowd wears the colors of Kometa, blue and white, on the club’s jerseys and scarves. The wind carries the scent of hot dogs to the spectators, many of whom hold a beer in their hand.
At the center of the crowd, inseparable, is a small group of homeless Brnaks leaning against the fountain, their eyes fixed on the screen, not missing a single action. These men and women, averaging around fifty years old, also wear the club’s colors proudly: jerseys, caps, and scarves of Kometa. They sing and clap their hands to the rhythm of a drum in a festive, village-like atmosphere, joyfully shared. Unlike others, they have not chosen to buy beer from the nearby stands but have brought their own drinks, placed in a bag next to their spot.
After a few missed actions by both teams, the group does not hide their disappointment; with each missed opportunity, most raise their arms to the sky or shout with the crowd. Their reactions mirror those of the rest of the fans, engaged, and full of hope.
It is only at halftime that the difference becomes noticeable. With the arrival of rain, many supporters who came to watch the match leave the square, some to find cover, others to watch the end from their couches. Among the homeless supporters, none move; they chat, joke with each other, and with other passers-by. For a moment, a police officer securing the event stops for a few minutes, smiling with this small group before returning to his duty.
After half-time, the ultra-fans positioned right under the screen call on the crowd to sing the club’s anthem. Initially hesitant, the crowd is motivated by the joyful small group of homeless individuals who do not hesitate to sing the club’s chant with fervor. With scarves raised or hands on their hearts, everyone joins in the song in a spirit of civic pride and a sense of being Czech.
With this free opportunity to access sports culture, which is also popular culture, homeless individuals, usually excluded from community events, are here placed on the same level as others or even play a role in the communal space from which they are often invisible. In this moment, the pride of belonging to the people, the attachment to a group, and the feeling of no longer being the “them” versus “us” allows even those with differences to form a society through the medium of sport.
In this shared space, the homeless supporters do not fade into the background; they inspire, participate, and stand as a reminder of what unites people beyond appearances: joy, pride, and a common identity. The spirit of Kometa Brno, more than just a club, becomes for a moment a home that everyone can claim. Their presence challenges our perceptions of inclusion and dignity. It reveals that patriotism and popular fervor are not the privilege of the comfortable, but a shared human expression that can transcend social divisions. In the midst of a cheering crowd, differences dissolve. The feeling of belonging, of being part of a greater whole, becomes accessible even to those society often leaves on the margins. Through sport, these individuals regain visibility, and perhaps even a voice. A scarf around the neck, a chant sung with conviction, and suddenly, they are no longer “the others” – they are simply fellow citizens, proud and present.
