Sporting thoughts
The hour of destiny is near at hand or alternatively, if you believe some people I know, the end is nigh. The World Cup, the globe's greatest sporting event, kicks off this Friday and much of the planet seems to have gone crazy. Never before has the build up been this long or the hype this huge. For the first time what Pele called "the beautiful game" is taking its quadrennial jamboree to Asia. The planet's biggest and most populous continent has waited patiently for its turn and is determined to put on the event of a lifetime. The question remains though, why? Why are we so caught up in it? Why on earth does the world come to a standstill to watch eleven men from 32 countries kicking a leather sack around?
The answer to football's enduring appeal to many of us is elusive. It is difficult to define what it is about Association Football that makes everyone so crazy. One theory, and it's certainly plausible, is that for many, sport is the most profound expression of patriotism open to them. The age of Empire has been replaced by the age of FIFA. The majority of countries don't fight colonial wars any more to show how great they are; for the most part we don't mass armies of millions to show opponents who is boss. The argument then follows that many find an outlet for patriotism in sport. As the world's most popular game, soccer is the greatest example and the World Cup its most potent showcase. This is certainly an argument that some former hooligans have put forward for the way that they behave. When the team did badly, the supporters took up the fight to show their opponents that England were still a force to be reckoned with.
Another possible cause is escapism. The World Cup provides people with a new focus, a refreshing diversion from the routine of everyday life. The feel-good factor (or mutual depression) is a great healer for society's ills. Perhaps that's why politicians are so keen to get on the football bandwagon.
It is also possible to be cynical and blame rampant advertising and media saturation by the organisers. The World Cup is all around us. There are official fast foods, pens, drinks, magazines, player cards, razors etc etc ad infinitum. That argument, however, surely confuses cause and effect. Without the inherent popularity of football's greatest tournament, companies would surely not be so keen to grab a piece of the action.
The patriotism argument seems strongest, with an added dose of the pure fun and excitement that the tournament generates in even the most ephemeral football fan. Even the most football-loathing friend of mine once admitted that she would watch the final if England made it; there can be no more ringing endorsement of the inherent mystique of the World Cup. Dulce et decorum est patria favere.
6th Jun 2002