Nika Sports Riot Almost Crumbled An Empire

Sports riots are nothing new in world history. In recent years, you may have seen the infamous Malice in the Palace, 1979 Madison Square Garden melee, 1979 Disco Demolition fiasco, or anything the Vancouver Canucks bring when they’re in the Stanley Cup. But nothing compares to the most violent sports related riot in the history of the world: the Nika Riot. When around 30,000 Byzantine citizens were lost in a riot turned revolution that almost changed medieval Europe.