When Sport and Music Met in a Toxic Mix
One of America’s most infamous sport riots was triggered by, of all things, disco music. The genre came out of nowhere, dominated the charts for years, and then simply vanished. Radio ignored disco for years after it first appeared in the 1960s. That changed after the dance-oriented music got exposure in DJ-based underground nightclubs that catered to Black, Latino, and gay dancers. Disco began to get airtime, and by the mid-1970s it had established itself. It was more than just a musical genre.
Disco revolutionized fashion, as night clubbers adopted extravagant outfits of loose and flowing clothes that were easier to dance in. A drug subculture also thrived, as quaaludes and cocaine, that enhanced the experience of flashing lights and loud music, became popular in disco nightclubs. Soon enough, the music that seemingly came from nowhere became more popular than rock and roll. Disco’s dominance of disco did not sit well with many rock fans, and the dance music’s rise was accompanied by serious resentment.
