I’ve just been to the pub. My team lost in the football. I’m feeling a varying raft of emotions. I find this sport absorbing for many reasons and at the same time still find it to be some kind of a dirty pleasure. Watching people at the peak of their abilities is incredible to see. If we could we would watch and be amazed by anybody at the top of their game who can do incredible things. Listen to a genius poet reciting their best poem, the greatest circus acrobat flying though the air catching and balancing people, someone who has mastered parkour bouncing their way across a city skyline, surfers, musicians, intellectuals…it doesn’t matter what it is, watching anyone who has mastered anything is a joy to behold.
At which point we embrace the tribalism involved which is simply fascinating. I would comfortably say I have met many people in my life and I have got on with everyone to a varying level. I can comfortably say that there is nobody out there that I actually genuinely hate, I even find the concept questionable until rival my football teams enter my mind. Being Scottish, or this is my excuse at least, I support two teams. My father supports Manchester United so from about six years old I supported them, it coincided with them winning their first title in twenty six years and then another twelve subsequently, so it was until recently a pleasure to experience their games. In Scotland I support Celtic who also have been winning everything recently but when I started supporting them their biggest rivals where in the middle of winning nine titles in a row, they were an underdog of sorts, socially as well as in sport. As I said I don’t think I hate anybody but without a doubt I hate their rivals, Liverpool for Man Utd and Rangers for Celtic. For me it feels rational, there is something vile and disgusting about these clubs and their supporters, I wouldn’t piss on them if they were on fire as the old saying goes. I really angrily hate them but I don’t feel that in any other realm of my life, and genuinely don’t think I could for any real extended length of time. I also know that there is too much emotion involved for it to ever be an actual rational issue but if I don’t try to think otherwise it feels completely justified.
Why is that though, how does this angry rivalry evolve in people who are not necessarily angry emotive people the rest of the time. There is talk of it being a primitive tribalistic thing, but we have evolved beyond that and I don’t really feel we’re still controlled by our tribal past in quite that way. If it’s going to be argued that it’s a male thing, that would be highly contentious but I certainly see more angry male football fans than female ones, whether that is because they are male as opposed to women that makes them angry and tribalistic is contentious and highly questionable though. So it rests upon whether it’s simply a release and the most socially acceptable version that men have been conditioned to embrace. The vast majority of people have something in their life that makes them unhappy and that is for various reasons but theres nothing quite like spending ninety minutes once a week screaming and shouting for and against a team, it is cathartic and it’s healing qualities cannot be overlooked. Still I suspect theres more, and it’s this knowledge that I lack the answer that keeps bringing the fascinated child back. What football has become is ridiculous but it has still managed to maintain it’s tribal element and people may try to make everyone play fair, nullify the aggression and play it for the sake of the sport but were that to happen I’m of no doubt the game would lose a huge part of it’s appeal. I for one hope that never happens. Come on, lets get excited, swear, scream, get angry, release and get on with it because until anything else comes along, this is all that the vast majority have that keeps them feeling grounded and human.
Observations and Misunderstandings 