If you are passionate about something, it can be frustrating when people don't have the same ideas. For example, I see NO reason why anybody should support Tottenham Hotspurs (AKA - 'The Scum'). They are a grossly overrated team who are the inferior London rivals of Arsenal. Whenever I meet such a misguided fan, I feel an urge to mock them. Remorselessly.
But I'm mature enough to realise that it is all banter. Some of it is very insulting, quite often abusive, but football does bring out a savage tribe mentality in its fans. (Impressively, you don't seem to get this in American sports.) So when fans say football is their 'religion', they are not far wrong.
- It sometimes requires a heroic amount of faith.
- You often deny the obvious flaws in your team's performance and blame others. (The ref being a common reciever of my displeasure!)
- Everyone else's team is rubbish!
- You spend far too much time devoted to your team which could be better spent doing many other things.
- You spend far too much money to prove your loyalty.
- You evangalise about your team to the point of obnoxiousness!
- You find yourself doing little rituals to change the outcome of the game.
- You wear clothing that identifies you with your team.
- You encourage your children to follow your team. Being a Man United fan would be a terrible, terrible crime against everything you stand for.
- No-one will ever persuade you to support anyone else.
And the scary thing is that you can't become an 'Afootballist'.
I think I am beyond saving ;-)
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I am ready for some "Football!" I am ready to draft some"Football!" This year I will be drafting in a college "Football!" league too. You can never get enough football. I love the smell of cold pizza and freshly cut lawn to enjoy my Sunday.
ReplyDeleteTo help my team win, I say somebody never misses, or there is no way they can be stopped. This is my way of Jinxing the opponent.
All afootballists are blasphemers and should be stoned to death. :-D
LOL. And the cricket fans! ;-)
ReplyDeleteYou're an Arsenal fan, it's quite possible you are beyond saving, bwa ha ha! ;)
ReplyDeleteSadly, possibly true. The effect of being knocked out of the Champions League was a bitter blow.
ReplyDeleteSomethink akin to theists realising that praying for all those years was pointless. ;-)
I like this blog,
ReplyDeleteI think in reality Christians on the whole could learn a lot from Football fans. They set an example which few Chrsitians have the courage or conviction to follow...
Football fans are proud of their teams, they wear all kinds of merchandise realted to their team, the shout about it, sing about it and aren't ashamed to talk openly about it to anyone who will listen. Thinking about Christianity, I'll quote the bible...
...ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. (Acts 1:8)
An Aresnal fan can leave the stadium and wear his colors proudly wherever he goes, but a Christian gets in a crowd of non believers and more often then not will lose his/her voice.
And inevitably there is money, for as a Christian you are not meant to cling to material goods, you should give money to the weak, the ill, the hungry. On the whole Christians aren't always too willing to sacrafice their paycheque. Concerning the grace of giving Paul said...
...see that ye abound in this grace also. (2 Cor. 8:7)
Abounding means to "exceed what is expected." Christians should be eager to worship God by giving perhaps beyond their means.
I know footy fans that would spend a weeks shopping money to by tickets for a game, they would pay for flights, trains, taxis, hotels... all for a game, to show support to their team. It puts many Christians to shame
I like that you compared the two, it gave me food for thought.
K x x
And you too! :-)
ReplyDeleteI have to say I am enjoying my blog. I am getting to meet a lot of interesting people with strong convictions and a whole new scope of ideas to think about.
I used to post on alt.atheism years ago, but sadly that just deterioated into a rather petty flame war with very little intelligent discourse. (Mind you, it is fun to watch the sqaubbling now and again,)
Now, I get to debate with people. They get the chance to prove christianity is a viable alternative to my humanist outlook. And I get the chance to discuss morality, science, reason to balance my point of view.
Cheers. :-)