Roman Empire Fan loyalty was fierce and at times erupted into sports riots. Racing was perilous, but charioteers were among the most celebrated and well-compensated athletes. One star of the sport was Diocles, from Lusitania (present-day Portugal), who raced chariots for 24 years and had career earnings of 35 million sesterces. Horses had their fans too, and were commemorated in art and inscriptions, sometimes by name. The design of Roman circuses was developed to assure that no team had an unfair advantage and to minimize collisions ("naufragia," "shipwrecks"), which were nonetheless frequent and spectacularly satisfying to the crowd. The races retained a
Sinking of the RMS Lusitania war, privately struck a small run of medals as a limited-circulation satirical attack (fewer than 500 were struck) on the Cunard Line for trying to continue business as usual during wartime. Goetz blamed both the British government and the Cunard Line for allowing "Lusitania" to sail despite the German embassy's warnings. Popular demand led to many unauthorised copies being made. One side of the popular medal showed "Lusitania" sinking laden with guns (incorrectly depicted sinking stern first) with the motto ""KEINE BANNWARE!"" ("NO CONTRABAND!"), while the reverse showed a skeleton selling Cunard tickets with the motto ""Geschäft Über Alles"" ("Business