I'm English so football means something quite different to me. Of course what I think of as football is actually soccer. However, having read many of the articles in this section, and watched a fair few games of American Football on television, I get the feeling that the experience for a Brit of going to soccer matches is very much the same as for an American going to football matches.
I'll explain the similarities between the two:
Being part of a family
If you support a team, you feel like part of one big family. In this increasingly insular world, it is one of the few places you can be thousands of other people who are all on your side and want the same thing. It is a comforting feeling.
Loving your team
You can't change your team. They are with you for life. Whatever they do and whatever happens to them, they will always be yours. Someone once said that the team you support is the only thing in your life you can't change. You can change your partner, your job, your appearance, even your name, but you can never change your team.
Cheering the good guys
These guys are our heroes. We don't know them, and they might be the most awful people in normal life, but for the duration of the game, they are heroes. A piece of skill will immediately excite thousands. They have ultimate power, and for a couple of hours each week they are our favorite people in the world. Funny how nearly all the good guys play for our team isn't it?
Booing the bad guys
We love to hate them. Most other teams have got one. The show off. The arrogant one. The one that can turn you into an insane lunatic full of hatred just because he is playing against your team. There is never a bad guy on our team, but most of the others have got one.
Letting your hair down
This is the one chance each week that most of us can behave badly, shout, cheer, boo, dance, even swear sometimes, and it is perfectly acceptable behavior because everyone else is doing it.
Eating and drinking
For you guys I guess it's pretzels and Nachos, for us it's Pies and chips. Then, of course, there's the beer. Live healthily all week, and then do your bit for increasing world obesity on match days.
Eternal gloom followed by eternal optimism
The extreme emotions that the game engenders are like no other. A defeat leaves you feeling that the world has come to an end. A poor performance and you are questioning whether you will ever go to a game again. Then, a day or so later, something happens. You start to remember the good bits. You remember how unlucky you were in the last game. You look forward and think, "A win next week and we could still make the play offs". Of course the gloom is not necessary, it's only a game, and the optimism is rarely justified.
So there you have it. I don't think there's too many differences between the American football fan and the Brit soccer fan. We all love it. The reason we all love it is because, well, actually, there's nothing better in the world.
Graham Fisher. News, views and observations about the beautiful game. Please visit my site and see if you agree with my opinions. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Graham_Fisher |
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