Sports and wine
As I mentioned the other day, the shoddy state of my football team has been weighing on my mind considerably of late. A cruel midweek defeat (caused by a last-minute goal) made me feel almost physically ill for a few hours and the subsequent depature of our manager has saddened me considerably over the past days. If we get relegated I will be thoroughly - to use a footballing word - gutted. Of course not as gutted as I frequently am when things go wrong in my career, and nowhere near as upset as I would be over a misfortune to my friends and family, or any of the usual things that make one unhappy (betrayal, failure, thought we had milk in the fridge to make tea but didn’t). I’m not an idiot. Nonetheless, the fate of eleven men, not known personally to me’, and with no direct bearing on my life, exerts a powerful pull over my emotions. Why?
Football fans are often stereotyped in ways which only some of them deserve. Personally I don’t consider myself rabidly tribalist, laddish, pumped up with testosterone, desperate to find something to care about in a pointless existence… I don’t chime with any of the reasons intellectuals find for the widespread obsession with football. I have a family, career, friends, interests. How I am capable of attaching so much importance to seemingly arbitrary events on a field in Bristol that I’m almost incapable of engaging with the rest of the world while they play themselves out?
I don’t really have a definitive answer, but since the question comes up a lot, here are a few possible ones:
-Supporting the team of the town where I was born is hard-wired into my consciousness. It’s not a matter of watching Man United on TV one day and saying ‘yep, I’ll have them’. I realise for someone not interested in the whole idea of football, this distinction isn’t of much concern, but it’s more a kind of instinctive part of my self-image than a lifestyle choice. That’s all.
-I was interested in football a long time before it became associated with ‘lads’ and screaming-at-foreigners-in-the-pub. When I grew up, in fact, in the 80s, football was in its darkest ever period and highly unfashionable in general society. So I’ve got as much distaste as anyone for the sort of mob mentality that breaks out during the World Cup. For me football is something you watch with your dad and your brother. Quite quietly.
-Well, you’ve got to be interested in something. I get annoyed when clever persons compare football unflatteringly with, say, opera. Things are as important as you make them. I mean, I’m also interested in books and pop music (as you may have gathered) and I’ll well aware that those pursuits engage the brain more than football; but not by as large a margin as you might think. Like any large-scale human activity, football teaches you a lot about humanity, and your relationship with the rest of it. (Camus said this rather better, I would add if I were pandering to the clever crowd.)
-To be honest, though, there’s no point in overanalysing. I find football exciting and even beautiful to watch. And if it’s worth immersing yourself in it at all, it’s worth really going for it. Everything is more fun if you take it seriously. People who let football run roughshod over their emotions do end up getting more out of it than people who dabble; and I think that applies to a lot more pursuits, too. Never mind half-measures. It doesn’t have to be football, but find something, however stupid, you can fill your brain with. That’s my advice.
As an argument, this hasn’t really gone anywhere. But you know. It’s the weekend. I hope you are using yours enjoyably, whether a ball is involved or not.
Posted by Knox on May 8, 2011
i think of football in the same way that i do doctor who: i’ve only really properly watched it a few times, but each time i have, i’ve really enjoyed it, and am sure i’d like to see more.
it is unfortunate that a load of rubbish football fans give the rest (and the game, sometimes) a bad name. but it’s like that with heaps of things. i can’t think of any examples right now, but i’m sure it is.
i, too, am enjoying the title.
Posted by Andrew on June 8, 2010
Loved the line “For me football is something you watch with your dad and your brother. Quite quietly.” I completely concur, for me football is not about being part of something huge but, as a supporter of a small team, something very special that bonds me with my son.
I would never normally be so crass as to post a link to my blog, but since this entry is nearly three months old I imagine nobody but site authors/administrators will notice it, and given that I broadly try and tackle some of the same points, here it is:
http://captainautumn.blog.co.uk/2010/05/19/accrington-stanley-here-we-come-8626189/
My blog is read by, on average, three people a day, so I’ll probably notice if anybody looks.
Posted by Meg on March 23, 2010
I’m actually really into football (ahem… or as I usually have to say so people understand me, soccer). It’s hard to follow from the States (though I love MLS & Team USA too) but I just really like it, idk why. It helps that my dad is really into it, he’s the one who pays for extra cable channels so we get more coverage.
Actually it’s funny that you mentioned how supporting your home team is part of your identity- for me that’s the weirdest part of being into European football. When I’m watching the Premier League (or any of the other leagues) I never have a home team, and it’s really disconcerting. I can pick a team to root for, sure, but it doesn’t have the same feeling as rooting for the Sox or the Pats. I root for the Sox and the Pats (and the Celts and the Bruins and the Revs) because I’m from Boston, it’s who I am. I don’t even care for baseball or football that much, but goddamn if I don’t stick up for my teams.
With football, where most of the time I don’t even know where the teams are from (I’ve been watching Premier League for around 4 years and I didn’t know Everton was based in Liverpool until like a month ago, lolz) I tend to pick a team based on players that I like (Currently, Tottenham, though my favorite player overall is Clint Dempsey always and forever.) Which is fine, but it is totally different and occasionally disconcerting.
I realize that this does nothing to get to the heart of why I LIKE football enough to follow it from overseas, but idk. I just do.
Posted by Chris on March 23, 2010
Laurs, glad you’re here supporting Forest too. Shame Bristol City (Mark talk me through that first goal) decided to gift Newcastle a draw the other night, but West Brom is our main target. Let’s just hope we keep winning at home and remember how to win away again – unbeaten all season away and now lost the last 6 – oh the pain!
Posted by Laurs on March 22, 2010
Chris, loving the fact that there is another Forest fan around! We are a great team (even if recent results don’t support that!) Bring on the Premiership!!
Posted by Chris on March 22, 2010
Born in London, but have followed Forest for over 30 years. OK it’s tough as we haven’t had a major success for 20 years now. And yes it’s painful. Then again I was once told, you can change your wife, but not football team.
There were 3 Forest fans at school (probably more than most would expect), although most friends followed Spurs, Arsenal and Man Utd. So in order to fight back against my mates from London, I love manipulating existing statistics to come up with ways of making Forest look supreme.
http://chrisspyrou.com/2010/03/02/forest-is-the-most-successful-team-in-european-cup-history/ – Forest 2-0 London!
Also should you refer to your team as ‘we’ or ‘they’? I always say ‘we’. yet one of my mates from the US argued the point that it should be ‘they’. Well sorry mate, it’s ‘WE’!
On a complete side note, a girl (dating a semi-pro footballer) on tonight’s episode of Come Dine With Me, just mixed up Gordon Brown with Mick Hucknall!
Posted by Rachel on March 21, 2010
I “support” 3 teams, I say “support” as I mainly support 1 team but follow and like 2 other teams.
I’m from Bristol and moved to London when I was very young but for some reason I support Newcastle. I may not know each member of the team and their exact position (I’ve been criticised for that before) but I am a huge fan of theirs and have been up there a few times, I quite oftenly see them at London teams and watch their matches on telly. I must say I do enjoy them winning games and being at the top of the table.
Now to my other two teams: I’m from Bristol originally so I like to see what Rovers are up to and I follow their results each week.
My dad is from Watford so he is a massive Hornets fan and ever since I was little I was taken to vicarage Road to see the games. They should surely be my team but for some reason I choose Newcastle when I was 5. (They have to stay up in the Championship!)
I know I shouldn’t follow three different teams but for some reason I do and each for their own little reason.
The weekends are definitely for football, I spend my Saturday afternoon with Jeff Steeling and friends and then I try to watch the games on Sundays (although I fell asleep during Chelsea game today). It’s sad and time consuming but what else is there for a lazy student?
Posted by Dean on March 21, 2010
Hi Mark,
Have still been reading your blog everyday, although I haven’t left two comments this week – which was one of my challenges.
Got a question if you could help? One of my longer term challenges was to get into the media industry. The other was, as a hobby, to write and perform some stand up. My question is: Shall I perform what I have written and then change it depending on reaction, or change what I’ve written if I think the reaction won’t be as good as I’d like?
Posted by James F on March 21, 2010
Hey Mark..
may I just say congrats on the lucky Draw Against the Mighty Toon..
I was born just south of london and live in an area called Staines, with its infamy only for its Parody by Sacha Baron Cohen in its Character Ali G.
Now For me Football is one of the best things in the world. I’m 17 and i’ve supported newcastle for nearly 14 years now. Scary I know.. But i’ve never been to newcastle or Seen the great team play. does this make me a bad person to also have so much passion for something and some people i know not very much about.
I like to get rid of the Stereotype of football fans being glory hunters. I mean would you or I ever support our teams if we wanted amazing Success. May I just say I love the Blog and heres to the next 10 years
Posted by Sam on March 21, 2010
I would like to like football. Over the past year or so I’ve developed more of a liking for sport, I enjoy Rugby Union, I adore cricket to an almost unhealthy point. The winter olympics ruined my coursework as I was staying up to watch it. But football I can’t get into. I see the appeal, and whilst I hate the laddishness of it I have many friends who are the antithesis of the sterotype who love football, also people I respect in the music/comedy scene who seem to genuinely love football. I think it has something to do with the fact that the kids who used to beat me up behind the bikesheds were also the ones who loved football.
Anyway I have cricket, and that lasts five days, take that football.
Posted by amycool on March 21, 2010
Although not a football fan, I have been known to shed a tear during snooker. Snooker is definitely a sport to which you need to give a lot of time in order to get the most out of it. I remember my first embassy world final as it was the night before a SAT exam and I was mighty tired.
In other sporting news, I got a medal today. For running. Okay so the sport relief mile (3 to be exact) isn’t a timed event, but I ran, and I got a medal. So my “Become a runner” TYSIC is going well.
And just to add some anxiety to the day, I ate the prune that came with the goody bag. A PRUNE! Me! A shrivelled up plum that had been sat in my bag half the day. But that has nothing to do with football so I’ll stop changing the subject. xxx
Posted by Hannah on March 21, 2010
I’ve never been a football fan as my family weren’t a football family so I lacked early exposure to the game. My other half is an ardent Spurs fan though so I’ve been sucked into the game somewhat, even if only to know what his mood will be like on a Sat/Sun evening when I see him after the game.
You’re definitely right about doing something wholeheartedly rather than dabbling though, even if nobody else “gets it”.
Hope you’re all having a fun weekend too
Posted by Anji on March 21, 2010
I’m urged to post purely for that fact I have been spending my time thinking I’d be the only person from Exeter only to read that SOMEONE else is too!!
And then onto football, I now support the team that my boyfriend has been a lifetime supporter of. We often make the 3 hour journey to watch them. I enjoy a bovril. I enjoy getting into the sprit of 40,000 other people. I also sometimes enjoy watching what a bird is doing.
What I can not do is watch a game on tv and enjoy that in the same way, it being on tv usually results In me sleeping. Footballs ok, but. It wouldn’t be the end of my world if I had never found it. My weekends can revolve around other things too.
For example this one has involed pruning a tree – never done before and now the tree is more a a stump but never mind! And trying to get my dog to wee in a pot, for the vet, not because I thought it woul be fun!
Looking at those examples perhaps I would rather the balls!
Posted by Lisa Brunders on March 21, 2010
I read your blog while watching football on BBC1! This might not sound remarkable, but I rarely watch football, which is probably why I was reading your blog at the same time! I take an interest as two of my closest friends are big fans. And last year I went to watch my first ever game, aged 51! I even used to live near enough to the old ground to know the score from the cheers, but never really took an interest. I keep an eye on the table and always check the scores. I think a lot of my interest comes from the fact we’ve done well the last years. There are indeed many types of football fans.
I wondered where the wine was until Anna let the cat out of the bag.
Posted by anna lowman on March 21, 2010
Not a huge surprise that I love this blog post. (And combined with a Foldsian title; bliss.)
Your formative years are even more important than the phrase suggests, I think – you form such incredibly strong bonds with the things you’re exposed to when you’re young. For me, weekends ARE football, from watching the results roll in on the vidiprinter and Dad paying the Pools man on a Sunday, to the more recent development of there being at least three games on per weekend, and laughing along with Jeff Stelling when Hartlepool are losing. Having moved away from where they grew up, I think both my mum and my dad care even more about their home teams (Burnley and Yeovil respectively) now than they did when they were back home. Similarly now, I *have* to know how Doncaster have done come 4.50pm on a Saturday, and I love that my mum will text me the scores for our three teams (plus Bristol City which has genuinely become our collective second team, Mark) if she knows I’m out and about.
“I find football exciting and even beautiful to watch. And if it’s worth immersing yourself in it at all, it’s worth really going for it. Everything is more fun if you take it seriously.”
Completely. As with all things – Twitter, relationships, and as the old joke goes, sewers – you get out what you put in; more, in fact. That’s why Beckham’s redemptive penalty against against Argentina, or Doncaster winning the Johnson’s Paint Trophy stick in the memory – because I felt something real at the time (sick, mainly). No point watching half-heartedly – you’ll miss those moments of perfect skill that make a dull game worthwhile. No amount of slo-mo, graphics-enhanced replays will make up for missing it in real time.
Thanks for the post, and hope everyone’s having a nice weekend.
Posted by ElizabethD on March 21, 2010
I get it..not exactly about football cause the game just never took off here in the States. Nevertheless, I feel the same way about baseball and the Boston Red Sox. Before they were champions it was fashionable among the intellectual elite around here to mock us working class loudmouth losers who would stand in the rain to watch our team get stopped into the ground year after year for nearly all of the 20th century. Loving the Red Sox (especially in the 80′s) was, to some, the sign of an inferior intellect. But I love them, even now that they’ve been winning. they’re my home team. Loving the Boston team is a tradition that goes back to the invention of the game itself. It’s part of the spirit of my city and why wouldn’t I want to be part of that? When I walk into Fenway Park I am standing not only with the 50,000 fans there that day, but with the millions of people who have walked there for the last hundred years filled with the love of the game that made Walt Whitman write poetry.
…You guys will have to excuse me, the season starts in 10 days and opening day at Fenway is in two weeks (9 hours and 30 minutes) and we’re playing the Yankees and I’m a bit over excited.
I’ve never understood the idea that one can’t be intelligent and love sports at the same time. The jocks made fun of me in school too, that isn’t baseball’s fault.
Posted by Laurs on March 21, 2010
I love football! I love the fact that on a Monday morning at work a group of us gather round to discuss the weekend’s results. I love the fact that no matter where you go, you can always find someone to talk to or debate with about football!
I hate the assumption that because I’m a girl I won’t understand the rules. I hate the fact some people can’t get their head around that even though I now live in Birmingham I support Forest, my home team. I hate the fact that I get so over involved with the outcome that it has been known to ruin weekends.
But mostly, football brings people together and that can only be a good thing.
Happy weekend to everyone!
Posted by Someone on March 21, 2010
I don’t much care for footy meself, but I live like 10 houses down from Exeter st. James park and the noise the fans make on match-days is crazy, so i like that about the sport… the team atmosphere and comradery or what you’d call it. It’s nice to support your country in world cup too. I don’t know that a Brit could fail to be a bit patriotic on days where we play… a bit of light-hearted fun in’t it. A shared goal around the world. No joke, no joke.
Posted by Rachael on March 21, 2010
I’m pretty sure that the reason I like football isn’t because I am rabidly tribalist, laddish, or pumped up with testosterone either. I don’t really have a good reason for it come to think of it, my friends and family are either not interested or don’t support the same team as me (who are the only team I am interested in or watch) and I’m not even from the place where my team is. I must have just woke up one day as a football fan.
Posted by Magnificent Josh on March 21, 2010
I’ve never seen the attraction of football myself, it’s not that I haven’t watched it, I have. It’s simply that I don’t enjoy looking at it. I’ll watch the match where we get kicked out of the world cup but even while watching it I don’t understand the quasi-religion that its developed around itself.
Also, what about the wine?
Posted by Phill Sacre on March 21, 2010
I was never really into football when I grew up. I’ve been to a few football matches, watched plenty of football on the TV, and here’s the thing: I really enjoy watching them. But I just don’t really care about it day to day. Like you say Mark, I think it’s basically that everyone needs a ‘thing’, or several things.
One of yours is football. One of mine is pretending to be a musician (I’m trying to learn guitar ‘properly’ for my TYSIC). There’s nothing inherently better about one or the other, they’re just hobbies and I get as much enjoyment out of learning guitar as I’m sure you get out of football.
Oh, and to add to the anti-stereotype thing, my Dad is a huge Chelsea fan – has been for 40 odd years – but is a church minister who would probably be the complete opposite of the ‘laddish’ stereotype. He just likes it.
No point to this comment really, just my two pence!
Posted by Natalie-Helen on March 21, 2010
I know what Misha means, I’ve never “got it” either. I guess thats partly because I don’t understand the rules and don’t have a home team. The excitement of a World Cup is somewhat infectious (not glory hunting but the chance at being good at something makes me interesteted).
Being in Liverpool for Uni is a bit of an education! Two home teams here and very aware of the fact on derby day.
Posted by Ben on March 21, 2010
YES. I’m completely with you. There is a definite snobbery about football and football fans, particularly among the ‘clever crowd’.
what always gets me is when people ask, ‘why would anyone want to watch twenty men running around and kicking a piece of leather for an afternoon…?’ as a rhetorical question, as if a reasonable answer to that question is laughably impossible. i usually let it slide, but i might start answering it.
Posted by Misha on March 21, 2010
I’ve mostly spent my weekend working and finding new music, the latter being the more interesting of the two.
Football is one of those weird things that intrigues me, several of my friends are really into it and support out (admittedly crap) home team fervently. I have to admit I’ve just never got it, but I can tell you its been roughly 20 years since we won something important. I couldn’t tell you what the important thing was, just that the skyblues are so wonderfully rubbishy it was a long time ago.
Happy weekending to you x