Why is it?

[slicer]

Originally Posted by Jaemi

People that fight over football, will fight over anything.
It's that simple.

True.

[AWESOMEUS MAXIMUS]

Originally Posted by poprock

Out of interest: How many people who follow football ‘semi-religiously’ were brought up that way? Going to the game (or watching it on telly) with your Dad, and so on?

Everyone that follows it 'semi-religiously' gets introduced to football one way or another, obviously.

My dad's a Rangers fan (the shame), but doesn't follow it religiously - i.e. he'll watch a game on tv if they are playing, or wind me up if we don't win.
Either way, it doesn't effect his daily business, and isn't that involved.
It's no more than a talking point between father and son.
Bit of banter.

My mother is a Celtic fan, and although she goes to the games now, she never used to, and always brought me up telling me "I only support my legs, and they support me", even though I knew which way she leaned, she just wanted to appear she wasn't interested.

My uncle from Liverpool took me to my first match, and I was hooked from then on in. We sat in the temp stand at the time when Di Canio & co were at parkhead.
He took me to a few more over the years, but nothing like being "brought up" that way, or having it "drummed" into me, as you might later try and insinuate.

I've always had an interest in football, used to play it every day at school, used to watch the big tournaments and matches on tv (not just celtic, but world cups/champs league etc).
Even down to playing worldy cup with my mates down the park, or playing fifa at my pals.
I played for various boys clubs as well when I was younger.
I love the competition of it all.
S'always been part of my life one way or another (more so at times in my life than others).

Being the "most popular sport" & being a bloke, most people are involved with it at some stage in their lives.

[MarkMono]

Just like any other other form of entertainment then, its only important because the people involved think it is.

Originally Posted by Jaemi

Never before has Mono been so consitantly wrong in one thread.

This statement would carry more weight if you didn't use it in every thread.

Originally Posted by Jaemi

People that fight over football, will fight over anything.
It's that simple.

Not all people, and if you discriminate to the point of violence against other people for supporting a different team to you (Or for listening to different music, wearing different clothes etc) then at the very least you're a bigot, if not completely mentally deficient.

You're right about one thing though, there is nothing complicated about supporting football. One of the main misconceptions in this thread.

[poprock]

Originally Posted by Jaemi

People that fight over football, will fight over anything.
It's that simple.

The man’s got a point.

On the flip side, the tribal nature of football fandom (now the cat’s out of the bag, I’m gonna play with it too) seems to attract those naturally nasty types. They’re using the sport as an excuse for their behaviour, it isn’t causing their behaviour. If anything, alcohol often has a bigger direct role these days.

I was thinking a bit more about what makes football a different sport to support than most others … I reckon that team sports are intrinsically different to individual ones. A boxing fan, for instance, is likely to be more a fan of the sport than of one specific boxer. A football team can be followed for generations, not just over the career of one athlete.

[AWESOMEUS MAXIMUS]

Originally Posted by slicer

Spar have it man?

Not my spar.

[Jaemi]

The point being that the people that fight, aren't there for the football.
They are there for the fight.

[AWESOMEUS MAXIMUS]

Originally Posted by MarkMono

Just like any other other form of entertainment then, its only important because the people involved think it is.

...and as mentioned by various people; The Sheer volume of folk thinking it's important, means it really is important to football fans and non-football fans alike, as it effects everyone.

Case & point.

[poprock]

Originally Posted by AWESOMEUS MAXIMUS

… nothing like being "brought up" that way, or having it "drummed" into me, as you might later try and insinuate.

Thanks for answering my question, ’cause I’m actually interested … but you can get tae fuck with the assumption that I’m automatically trying to get one over on you or anyone else here.

[MarkMono]

Originally Posted by AWESOMEUS MAXIMUS

...and as mentioned by various people; The Sheer volume of folk thinking it's important, means it really is important to football fans and non-football fans alike, as it effects everyone.

Case & point.

A) Thats circular logic

B) It was my first point in this thread. Not my opinion, but a very widely shared one.

Doesn't make it true though.

Can I point out that due to a complete misunderstanding half this thread seems to think I said football causes violence. I did not, I'm daft but I'm not stupid.

Originally Posted by poprock

The man’s got a point.

On the flip side, the tribal nature of football fandom (now the cat’s out of the bag, I’m gonna play with it too) seems to attract those naturally nasty types. They’re using the sport as an excuse for their behaviour, it isn’t causing their behaviour. If anything, alcohol often has a bigger direct role these days.

Hahaha, did Scotland used to be reknowned for the quiet sober dignity of its football matches in the old days?

Originally Posted by poprock

I was thinking a bit more about what makes football a different sport to support than most others … I reckon that team sports are intrinsically different to individual ones. A boxing fan, for instance, is likely to be more a fan of the sport than of one specific boxer. A football team can be followed for generations, not just over the career of one athlete.

Nothing makes football different, other cultures obssess over different sports.

[UncleDave]

Originally Posted by ¡Punk!

As above. Spend thousands of pounds to complete GTA4, only be allowed to do one mission a week, make it that you have to get on a bus at 10 in the morning with 50 other GTA fans who sing and clap and drink the whole way in excitement only to lose the level and have to travel four hours home in total silence as everyone's so gutted or go up against one of the world's GTA players with no hope of victory and come away with a cheeky win that you could only have dreamed of then tell me it's just the same as any other form of entertainment.

Sounds faintly similar to festival season, and comparable to some of the wacky hijinks that total nerdhats get up to on WOW or other such games. Some folks go to great lengths to have fun of course. Its still only a form of entertainment. YOU REALLY LIKE IT, we get that, and its great. It's not something profound and life-changing like some people put on, thats all I'm saying. Your team wins, life goes on as normal. Your team loses, life goes on as normal. Meaningless fun. I flew around the entire world, never mind a few bus journeys, just to go SCUBA diving at the barrier reef. It was marvelous fun, but it didnt "mean something".

Cheers.

[slicer]

Originally Posted by AWESOMEUS MAXIMUS

Not my spar.

Gutted. I coulda been wrong but I was sure I saw it. I'll keep an eye out n let you know if I see it anywhere but.

[AWESOMEUS MAXIMUS]

Originally Posted by poprock

The man’s got a point.

On the flip side, the tribal nature of football fandom (now the cat’s out of the bag, I’m gonna play with it too) seems to attract those naturally nasty types. They’re using the sport as an excuse for their behaviour, it isn’t causing their behaviour. If anything, alcohol often has a bigger direct role these days.
.

You could also say that about many sports.
it's just not as publicised as football violence or trouble, because (lo & behold) it's not followed on a scale that football is.
I.E. You are likely to find more trouble makers in a group of 100,000 people then you are 100 people.

That's like saying something as politcally incorrect as "The cathouse attracts those heavy poofy, boys kissin' an aww rat." types, just because it has happned there.

Silly.

[Jaemi]

Football isn't to blame for this.

[AWESOMEUS MAXIMUS]

Originally Posted by UncleDave

Some folks go to great lengths to have fun of course. Its still only a form of entertainment. YOU REALLY LIKE IT, we get that, and its great. It's not something profound and life-changing like some people put on, thats all I'm saying. Your team wins, life goes on as normal. Your team loses, life goes on as normal. Meaningless fun.

Simply not true.

It is life changing for some people.
It is profound for some people
It does effect peoples daily lives.
Life doesn't go on as normal for ALOT of people when your team wins/loses sometimes.
Certainly not meaningless to some people.


You see it as 'meaningless fun', but for alot of people, that is simply not fact.
It is for someone not involved.

I would of thought the point (thats been made several times) would of been clear by now.
You won't understand it fully, unless you are involved to that degree.
Like why we can't understand why a junkie just doesn't "give up ra smack man" (maybe a bad analogy, but you see where im going).

Either way, the point's you've made are simply un-factual.
Unless you are only talking about yourself, and you're own experiances.

[Jushin Liger]

Originally Posted by MarkMono

Nothing makes football different, other cultures obssess over different sports.

See the IPL just now for example or Ice Hockey games in Canada/North Eastern US.