I work at a social media website for football (soccer to us Americans). One of the perks of the job is I get to speak with football crazies from all over the world on a daily basis. Their passion is enviable and highly addictive. I don’t pretend to know the sport or culture but one thing that stands out to me at least, is the difference between American sports where the focus is more on individual athletes as opposed to football where a greater emphasis is placed on the club, community and tradition (or so it appears to this outsider looking in). So here’s my two cents – and it’s probably worth half that
Football is Beautiful
It’s far bigger than the players or the clubs
Football is a people, a culture, a community
It’s a history, tradition
And tradition, not measured in decades but moments.
It’s religion. Not a religion but the religion
More people in this world have met heaven on the verdant pitch than through a god of any other name
It requires faith, not faith in the unknown but faith in spite of what is all too well known.
Football is human and bares its own shortcomings and injustice
Football is life, hardly perfect but worth pursuing
Football releases the purest of emotion in spectators and participants.
In an instant men turn to children and boys to Gods,
Ecstasy and anguish separated by so little it must be fate
Or the capricious nature of a benevolent host.
Football is beautiful.
Update: Here’s the other side of the coin, an excellent post appropriately titled F*** Football
May 23, 2008 at 1:42 am |
and thus an intimation of life’s experiences
May 23, 2008 at 3:31 am |
You’re quite right. Football has everything. It takes in every aspect of life and then magnifies it, intensifies it and fills it with dreams. Once you have football you really don’t need anything else. There I’ve said it. And I’m a relatively well educated, mature, balanced adult with a job and a family. I’ve tried to convince myself that I don’t need football and other things are more important in life – which may well be true. But the real truth is that football contains all of the important things and then takes them to a new, higher level. So there is no need to question my love for it, our love for it. It is beautiful. And precious.
May 23, 2008 at 8:58 am |
Well put, I couldn’t have said it better myself (really, because I tried).
May 23, 2008 at 9:06 am |
Yes mom the different capitalizations of God is intentional, thanks for looking out for me though
.
However, I don’t think it’s fair to say “imitation.” I guess what I’m trying to convey is football isn’t symbolic or representative of something larger. Rather, football and everything that goes with it, is life – and the good parts of life at that.
June 9, 2008 at 7:51 am |
I was raised in a family who eat, sleep and talk soccer. We are all Italians, If you support Brazil or Germany for example, you are not so welcome and if you argue with us, you are always wrong (yes we are so biased and arrogant)
My dad was a soccer player, a striker who was well-known in our city. Before I got into computers and stuff, I was a soccer player too, I enjoyed being a “REAL” soccer player and I now enjoy being a soccer fan.
Computers and tech had a negative impact on my health and now I wear glasses and therefore I can’t play soccer. I tried many solutions to overcome this but I never felt comfortable when playing as I had felt before (I will probably have surgery soon). However, I still love soccer and my love and passion for it is what still keeps me blogging about it.
Btw, nice blog you have Joe
June 9, 2008 at 8:22 am |
Thank you sir, it’s no Real Madrid Talk but I do what I can
. I was actually in Berlin for the World Cup final in ‘06, you Italians are nuts (and that’s coming from an Irish Catholic).
“REAL” soccer player… ha well put. Get the stupid laser surgery and get your butt back on the pitch!
June 12, 2008 at 2:42 am |
bill shankly once said:
Some people believe football is a matter of life and death. I’m very disappointed with that attitude. I can assure you it is much, much more important than that.
bill shankly was possibly the best manager of the 60’s and 70’s in the uk
until ron saunders came along