HELLO STEEMERS!
So you're trying to tell me that people are actually upset and (even) crying because a group of millionaires failed to put an inflated ball between a pair of posts more times than the other one? And also people get angry (and even violent ) with each other because they do not like the opposing team? Developing attachment (feelings) towards people that do not even know us, and most possibly do not give a shit about (just the money/fame provided) seems to be quite on trend nowadays (also very strongly applies to celebrity admiration).
Yes okay there might be a few footballers that genuinely appreciate their supporters, but still do you think they would continue their career if they received less money ? If there would be no special award for the winning team, but everyone would get the same wages (differing according to skills and experience-just like most of the "regular" jobs) how many would continue to play and appreciate their "fans"?
I do understand those who bet money/valuables and get frustrated with the loss, but what about everyone else that is not even remotely interested in making money out of football? (Yes, I am aware gambling is harmful and corrupt, and I do not support it)
Business Rather Than Sport?
A lot of people nowadays don't give a carrot that we are being robbed, deceived, dehumanized and basically enslaved everyday. We "accept" the "reality" right.. ? I have developed a lot of understanding in the past years of why people behave that way, but the football fanaticism "phenomenon"still doesn't fail to surprise me. I mentioned celebrity admiration before, but singers and music could be thought to be hypnotising, just like in case of snake charming (music being the "pungi", singers the "charmer" and people the "snakes"). So how come that kicking an inflated round object around a field by (often grown up) millionaires creates so much fascination? We also seem to forget about all the corruption that is going on not only in football, but other sports as well. Sometimes (when things are "not going well") people spend 90 or more minutes stressing about their team poor performance. Later they feel bad if the group lost, but in fact footballers (and a bunch of other 'wealthy' people) already knew, possibly a while before the match, that they will not win. This even creates a lot of tension within an individual and as we should all know, stress is a super unhealthy component. It is known to cause, worsen, or contribute to developing an enormous amount of illnesses (physical and mental). Then on the other side we have the footballers who still benefited from the match, most likely by getting money (i.e. match fixing), also providing other parties with income (e.g. bookmakers)
Sport is healthy, right?
If you are wondering, yes I am aware that playing football (especially professionally) could be hard work and these guys exhaust themselves physically.But is it really that healthy? I'm sure you have heard of high-performing athletes having heart attacks at very young age (Fabrice Muamba suffered cardiac arrest at the age of 23!). If you think about it, intense exercise is a stress to our body and if you work out heavily it does not mean that you will be super/extra healthy. I am talking about excruciating activities, because work out of course is healthy, but it does not have to be excessive or uncomfortable. A study conducted by Michelle Segar (University of Michigan’s SHARP) which was published in BMC Public Health suggests that many people restrain themselves from being active at all, because they think exercise has to be very intense in order to provide benefits, but that is a misconception.
I have nothing against playing football for recreational purposes, or supporting your relative or someone close to you. Certainly I mean support that is 'healthy', as in non-violent and free of negative/stressful emotions. On the other hand, developing idolization (or even nearly obsessive) feelings towards people we do not even know, seems quite poisonous. How can one not find it outrageous that these people are being paid so much money and receive an enormous amount of support for kicking a ball, and people who actually save lives or have a positive impact on humanity and earth are still quite unappreciated and disregarded? Please note that this doesn't really apply to those who just watch football as if it is another "TV show", I'm mainly talking about individuals who develop extra feelings to an extent of being obsessed. These feelings quite often can affect an individual in an unhealthy way.
The world is packed with violence, there are still wars happening, hunger (even though we are producing enormous amounts of food- and then wasting it..) inequality and inhumane behaviours. Seems like football obsession became an another humanity crushing factor, which often separates people instead of connecting.
Yes I know, people can 'unite' because they admire the same team and they bond, but in fact they also create a circle of hate towards another group(s). I lived in a city where a lot of people liked football a lot... they liked it to an extent where they would write offensive phrases directed at the hated team and it's supporters on buildings (sometimes even residential buildings or with historic significance). It's really disrespectful for the people who live there, as well as people who built it or those who just purely appreciate the architecture. These hateful and vulgar "hooligan graffiti" are also exposed to children, and I do not think it is something they should see.
Please if you decide to leave a comment make sure it's discussable and is not comprised of foolish feedback. I am open to opinions and maybe I will gain some understanding of the topic. If you are an upset/offended football fanatic, please take a few breaths, read the article again and state your argument excluding the rage.
