Religion of the deluded?
Friday, October 15, 2010 at 4:21PM With thanks to Spanish Spur for bringing this article to my attention over at the Guardian. Martin Kettle, the author of said article, cites Liverpool's current financial plight as a means to place football into perspective. No sympathy in fact for something birthed from the 90s in terms of this explosion of football we have practically drowned in during the past couple of decades. He's critical of the monster that has grown in our quaint English garden and shrugs at one of it's falling limbs.
Read it, worth a look. Found this paragraph of interest, and just taking it out of the context of the actual article itself, wonder what you might think of it's sentiments.
Football is a game. Football is entertainment. Yes, it's a really good game. Yes, it's exciting entertainment. Yes, it is hugely enjoyable – or can be – to follow your own team through thick and thin. But that's all. Football is not more than that. It's not the reason we exist. It's not a way of life. It's not even a religion, except inasmuch as it is a comforting delusion. Football doesn't prove anything at all about anything. It certainly does not validate the worth of the disturbingly large number of people, still almost all male, who appear to think that it does. Great footballers are nothing more than great footballers.
He states that you follow your team through thick and and thin - but that's all you do. There is nothing more to it. Just how do you quantify this in terms of emotional attachment? Okay so let's say someone in your family is ill or you have a newborn baby, it's going to take priority. In comparison, there is no comparison. But surely life is made up of building blocks, each as important as the next when handled separately. Why would you compare each block? You well do if say you have to choose between two things, but usually it's just a compromise (I guess this is very subjective).
I have felt physically sick to the depths of my gut when we've lost certain games. I've felt equally sick (if I look back to my teenage years) and one or two girlfriend related heart-breaks. Both incomparable, both with equal measures of impact on my life. Although I got over the females and moved on, but some football results will never be forgotten.
Football not a religion? In this world we (I) live in, you spend most of it filling it up with stuff to get you through one day to the next. TV, music, sex, travel, work (sadly) and hundreds of other activities - some of a necessity others of interest.
It's not the reason I exist, but it's f**king good way to spend some part of my life obsessing over. It doesn't need me to tag it with philosophical reasoning about it's tribal elements or any other form of justification. It's not a way of life, but it's part of our way of life. But it's a huge part of my life, and it runs in the blood, so perhaps there is part of me holding back, not admitting that it's far more important than I wish to believe.
So yeah, just a musing or two here. Agree, disagree? Are we (all of us no matter the club of our choice) just deluding ourselves with one hell of an epic waste of time?
Discuss it amongst yourselves if you want.
Reader Comments (49)
Football means many things to different people. Nobody can categorically prescribe it's place in the world.
Each to their own.
Amen.
“Some people think football is a matter of life and death. I assure you, it's much more serious than that.”
Bill Shankly
I kinda go along with Bill, he knew his fucking stuff!
You could easily argue that whatever in your life defines you and provides you with identity is in fact a religion, therefore for a significant number of people it is that important. Which is a long way of saying its as important as you make it, just like anything else. You can argue that it shouldn't be that important to some people (because it is only a game...and there are many far more important things in life) but not that it isn't.
We can all choose what is and isn't important in life. I think Martin Kettle devalues the game with his opinion. A beautiful goal, is just that because it is. How can anyone deny it or question it, when the hairs on the back of your neck stand up because of it? It's art life entertainment all rolled into one and is just about as powerful as many things in life with Martin Kettle might deem more important.
It's a great leveller. I'll always remember being stuck in a train station in Albacete overnight chatting for hours with an Ecuadorian migrant worker about the great football teams we'd seen in our lives, we didn't have much else in common. It's like Martin Kettle says, "I speak fluent football" plus, I like it, ok?! Sue me.
Anger,sadness,joy,absolute fuckin ecstasy,absolute fuckin despair,
All things i have felt following tottenham.
I'm going to be in a minority, but I agree with this.
It's a distraction like most things we all care about.
Whilst we're distracted people with power can pretty much do as they wish and we don't really care. The Romans had this technique, where mindless games kept the ignorant masses satisfied and content in their work.
I love my club, I love the game but I certainly have perspective regarding football now.
It means everything to some people but in reality it quite literally means nothing.
I think the trick is to know your distractions and only place so much importance on them.
Football is a religion, bringing people together. In love for the sport, and in fight.
You only need to look at the Chilean miners to see how important football is to those who love the game.
Half of them emerged with the flags of their clubs. I often wonder why it is that I get so uptight and obsessive about Spurs but love is irrational. Try to explain it and you just can't. That makes it a real emotion to me.
/\ That's what I was getting at.
I'd like to have seen Mr Kettle watch me celebrate Crouch's goal @ Eastlands last season then argue that it essentially means nothing. To me from the final whistle @ WHL vs Bolton the previous Saturday to the final whistle @ Eastlands that night my club, my team, my obsession was all I cared about.
Call me hollow, shallow whatever you want, but few things in this world have made me feel sheer ecstasy like watching Peter Crouch nod that header home.
Yeah, I went ballistic for a good five solid minutes of punching and crying tears of joy at that goal. Probably showed more emotion then than I did in the delivery room.
It's okay, she doesn't read my blog.
Blimey! And there was me thinking "I'll have a look and see what Spooky thinks about Spurs/Fulham tomorrow.'
Anyone remember the Monty Python football sketch played between two teams of philosophers?
I'm lagging on doing a proper pre-match preview at the moment. Soz. Yesterdays blog will have to suffice unless I discover inspiration behind the soft later this evening.
Football first. Everything else second.
It all depends on who you are and how you love the game and the team you support..... I have supported spurs for so many years and its like an emotional roller-coaster of a ride, its far more important than religion , you can change many things in life... your wife, your religion even your sex but you can never ever change your team, its with you for life like an addiction that just wont go away, Yea i reckon Shanks had it just about right its far more important than life or death.... Aaron Lennon's leveler against the Arse to make it 4.4, we were 4.2 down with minutes to go.... Ricky Villas outstanding winner against citeh at wembley to win the FA cup..... Tony Parks penalty save against Anderlecht at whit hart lane to win the uefa cup....Gazza's free kick at wembley against the Arse..... and of course crouch's winner against citeh last year, i cant begin to put into words the feelings i went through on each of those occasions. try explaining it to someone who does not understand having a passion for supporting a team... my wife for instance thinks I'm mad, when we get beat she says to me its only a game yea right as all we passionate spurs fans know it's far more than that. COYS !!!,
1st of March 1995
I paryed to my God and he answered.
Where are you Ronnie?
The first of many prayers, Martin Kettle what a cunt.
I curse the day i fell in love with Football way back when i was old enough to kick a ball Then football was fun you played in the street or any field, if your team got beat you would get the ball out and score the imaginary winning Goal and everything seemed better. Now its murder the weekend is ruined the dog gets out the way the wife and daughter have no sympathy my fellow Spurs fans hate me for ranting on about dodgy energy especially if we get beat by a Team playing way above there teams ability. Would i give it up the answer is a big no because when we win its great the dog even smiles and the wife and daughter love the happy household/ This is what makes Football a funny old game once said by one of my Heroes when i first fell in love with the funny smelly leather ball with the pigs bladder. Please please make this weekend a happy one and if possible stretch it to Wednesday. Coys
The meaning if life? Maybe everything's a waste of time; so I might as well enjoy wasting my time by following Tottenham. Perhaps there are levels of time wasting. For me, supporting a club like Manchester United would be a complete waste of time.
Cards on the table, I'm a Christian and a Spurs fan. I'm part of the "lunatic fringe" Inot just watching on a Saturday and attending on a Sunday, I'm there on a Wednesday morning with a Bible and taking my break at work reading Harry's latest quotes and trying to work out where I can find the best reports of how Bostock and Rose did on the weekend and how I can get a decent stream of Gio's goal for Mexico.
The bottom line is that for Mr Kettle both are "comforting delusions". No they're not mate they're both proper hard slogs, real commitments with some real joy, hope and faith thrown in.
Chuck out God and there is no real purpose to life. So purpose is what we make it and unfortunately for Mr Kettle more people make it about football than about reading his purposeless whining. Not to mention the fact that following the logic through life has no purpose so what you are saying Mr Kettle is purposeless.
Chuck in God and it tends to suggest that God might care about people and if they care about football then he/she cares too - or maybe Kaka should hang up his born again boots, but before he does so could he move to the place all the decent Real Madrid players are going to.
Ok lemme do a ten minute typing rant, I feel Mr kettle's comments were over the top along with Fuzzy dunlops. Sounds like Mr Kettle dont like the comerciallisation of the game, but all I say to that is GET WITH THE TIMES, anything that is loved by so many will be commercialised and exploited to the fullest.. I went to a Washington Red skins game last year, a disturbingly large number of people were there, near on 90,000 people attended, were they all deluded ?, some maybe but they came to be entertained, and indeed they were. Yes footballers are paid too much money,like all other big sports stars, but so are the bankers in the city and the poloticians in parliment, Yes football is riddled with money and investment, just like any other lucrative business ,BUT the history and foundation of the great game will never die just like any other invention that is loved by people. As a kid I use to love waking up on a sunday morning and competing against the local teams, 1. it kept me fit, 2. it gave me disipline and helped me express myself and 3 I bloody enjoyed it, just like I bloody Enjoy watching the Spurs.... Football, bingo, reading, blogging, walks in the park, knitting, dinner parties, eastenders, corrie, cinema, NFL, NBA, UFC, dinner with the missus, taking the kids out, watching conspiricy's on youtube :) ... I could go on, but the point is FOOTBALL is just like any other thing that us human beings occupy our mind's with, if we got time for it, why not, whats the big deal...some people hate it, some like it, some love it, some people live for it, we are entitled to like what we want and entitled to like it however much we want, we're all different and shouldnt be ridiculed. Yes the world is a corrupted place, and they at the top control us while we watch football, but hey, when you find a plan to overthrow them or when God or che guevara comes back from the dead to lead the greatest rebellion known to man, let me know, until then consider me 'distracted'. Without football we would still be distracted, and even without distractions, what you gonna do about it Fuzzy, just live your life and live it good, the rest will take care of itself ...I say over indulgence in anything is not a good thing, but at the same time I believe the passion, the high's n lows, the thrill of supporting a club is a great thing for me and many others. .... Football is more than just a sport, it is something that has been in world culture for many years, and I say forever live on football and for as long as im here you will have a fan in me!!!! however I think i'm gonna take up trainspotting, think that would be good for the mind :)
If I had to, I'd side with Fuzzy Dunlop and Martin Kettle here.
Football is a luxury that we're privileged (sometimes) to have in our lives. Much like a girlfriend, much like pretty much anything that can have our hearts soar and to twist and turn our emotions inside and out. If we didn't have football - say it never got invented in our lifetime - would we be into all the Gladiator stuff? Would we be keen on a foot race in Marathon? Would we enjoy a free diving competition in Atlantis? Or would we like music, poetry, painting, food, philosophy, exploration, science etc etc instead? There are many things that we can take our breath away if we let it - it just so happens that football, and following Spurs in particular is one thing we allow.
Unless someone has unequivocal evidence to the contrary, setting all forms of religion aside even the footballing gods, life is just something that happens before you die. We are lucky that in our society and in our lives andin our time, we can get to experience this. Not so for someone who had to put everything on hold for a World War, or perhaps was born to grow up in a poor country in the midst of a famine. In certain situations, one can imagine that the deepest despair could have you asking for help - you might not know from who, from a higher being/beings, from your god...but it's most likely not going to be from Gazza, or an inch perfect 80 yard pass from Hodd, or some wise words from Arry Redschnapps.
I think this is the difference between football and religion. You can't ask football to help fix your tumor ridden body, you can't ask football to keep your friend safe when they're shipped off fight in Afghanistan. Martin Kettle was wrong to compare football with Religion, effectively citing one above the other when in fact they're both inventions of humanity. However in perspective - in terms of what most humans actually need, if football was never there, then something else would have taken up its place and toyed with us all on a regular basis. Take for example that horrific story of a couple so possesed with their online 'dungeons and dragons' lives, that they let their baby daughter starve to death http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8600517.stm
I love football, but I appreciate it for what it is, and not try to make it everything.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBSG_-lP4_Y
"Anyone remember the Monty Python football sketch played between two teams of philosophers?"
...Kant, Hegel, Nietzsche...with Beckenbauer a surprise inclusion.
Hegel is arguing that the reality is merely an a priori adjunct of non-naturalistic ethics, Kant via the categorical imperative is holding that ontologically it exists only in the imagination, and Marx is claiming it was offside.
Probably my favorite MP skit of all time. Hilarious and genius on so many levels.
Seriously though, football is real whereas religion was made up to keep the peasants in order and distract them from questioning rulers, a bit like television today.
You gotta believe in something. Why not Spurs?
Football is nothing more than a mere sport. Football is nothing more than a stage for prima donnas. Tottenham Hotspur is nothing more than a football club. But then you hear "Oh when the Spurs go marching in" and you realise why you're so in love and obsessed with it.
It truly is a fatal love affair. Wife definitely thinks so. I say fuck it!
COYMFS!!!!!!!!!!!!
Lemonademoney, have you been reading Marx or something. Made up to keep the peasants in line...as if. Hijacked later maybe but Judaism, Christianity, in their origins, they were all about the voice of the downtrodden and the outcasts telling rulers and kings that they had better watch their backs as their were higher voices of justice in the world than might is right and money is power. So fear not the beautiful game won't be dominated by Chelski and Citeh for ever.
good comments from preston spur.
Football is important to me.highs,lows etc. But its gone beyond saturation point because of sickening marketing and brainwashing by the media & corps funding it.
Wow, all sounds so serious. Reminds me of existentialism. Why are we here? What exactly are we doing here - you know, that kind of thought.
Speaking of seriousness and delusion, two related issues spring to mind...
1. Liverpool -
a) even if the management are perceived to be rotten, still doesnt explain poor performances or results - is this a convenient excuse and the deluded supporters are looking for someone to blame? If so, then Rafa Benitez is probably more culpable then G&H.
LIverpool bought crap expensive who were wasted - Aquilani, Keane,
and sold good players - Alonso, Mascherano, Yossi
i wonder who made those decisions? Doesnt this mean G&H did support the manager?
why didnt Rafa bring through young English talent? Nothing from their academy? Case in point, Degen and David Ngog - surely there could be better talent developed from the academy? I'm just saying.
b) by the same token, the same deluded supporters should be wary of the new owners. No reason to suppose they dont have the same motivation as G&H.
c) the conduct of RBS in this saga has not been highlighted in the media. Seems like they made the decision to go with the new owners, not the Liverpool Board. the Friday deadline was set by them, and there were ostensibly larger bids on the table. There was some press here due to the bid made by our local billionaire (didnt know we had any)
It looks like RBS grew tired of repayment and were only concerned about being repaid by a certain date, and dont really care about the club. Which means in this whole saga, RBS might not have taken into account the interests of the club. Think about it.
2. Nigel De J. and related matters.
a) violence, especially unnecessary violence cannot be condoned. he may not have "intended" to hurt anyone, but the end result is a broken limb. That's negligence.
b) Marseille may have a point. if it takes a lawsuit to clamp down on such activity, then this should be seriously considered. who compensates them? what would the insurance companies say?
c) i think there is a vast difference between stopping a man with force executed skillfully and properly, i.e. take the ball without touching or hurting the man, and what DeJ and others like Shawcross are doing. Only the former should be permitted. Either learn to tackle properly or dont tackle with unnecessary brute force.
d) the reaction of some the managers are curious. only the guilty have a case to defend. anyone who is innocent need not bother to answer. the reaction of the LMA is also telling - it means they acknowledge some clubs have such a reputation but everyone must respect the sensitivities of labelling the English game as being "rough". i note there is no denial of the contents of the statements of DM.
e) my concern with this topic is that i dont want to see any more of our players get hurt by this. I was deprived of my one and only chance to watch Modric play Man U at the Lane last year because of his broken leg (shin?) suffered from Bowyer's tackle. Bale suffered a tackle against Bham couple of seasons ago, similarly Lennon limped off against Stoke last season in pain.
feeling a bit nostalgic, I looked at the videos of Vdv compared with older videos of the halcyon days of Keane and Berbatov.
we have taken our team for granted.
i don know about the rest of you, but the year we basically scored goals for fun, we were devastating. sure we didnt beat lárse but we didnt get beaten by them, they just got lucky. i recall the game at the emirates, jamie o'hara unfazed by the occasion, berbatov's equaliser, bendtner's lucky goal, and keane's penalty miss. if only we had qualified for the champions league then....
nowadays, we are a better team, but we dont pulverise teams. we are more methodical, more predictable. sure we added Vdv and modric, bale has become the player we hoped he could be, but teams like wigan or west ham have learnt our vulnerabilities and have learnt to stop us from scoring. our strengths have become our weakness. mark my words, dont be surprised if fulham pull the same tricks, not to mention our partial distraction of inter on wednesday....
i guess its the ability to describe in such detail the highs and lows of the tottenham way which is the opium of us masses. its the only way i can think of to explain our deluded devotion.
the best babe moment....the greatest record or song....the greatest goal and moment from Spurs.......
then the memory of those things..........
footballers arent just footballers they are artists with the ball.........(though some are not!)
who can forget.....
eg Brazil 1970!!.......pele......
..jennings save,,,,greaves control........hoddle......the argentinans.....ginola etc
I am a firm atheist but my love of football is almost religious,i love the game but i get tired of the show around football , the lack of purity and the way the game is ruined by money
Even in my own team i have teammates who only care about the few 100 euos we get paid to play , they dont want to win for the sake of winning , they just like to pay of their cars ...
Great article Spooky.
I know this is slightly off topic but ... if you want to compare football, religion with other opiates ...
As an American and therefore born into a self-deluded sense that we can "change" things and make the world a better place (man)--I've grown utterly disgusted with everything having to do with the dumbed down, insulting idea of following politics.
Football is a wonderful refuge from all that crap and am grateful for the beautiful, painful and rewarding diversion it provides.
I was a bit of a political junkie as a younger dude but in recent years I have thankfully transferred the wasted and futile hours of time I spent on following political elections into obsessively following Spurs and world football.
Much better way to live if you ask me.
hey belgian
I assume you've mentioned this before here but where do you play?
team/league/position
just curious
cheers
COYS!!!!!!!!
You would know my teams but for what its worth :)
i currently play futsal in Belgium (second division Atlas Mechelen) and a game most of you dont know, its called minifoot (small goals) in a local division
Used to play for the Kaa Gent youth team but wasnt good enough to get in their first team, played a bit in lower divisions (second division Oostende and then woluwe zaventem, Oostakker, Ninove and some regioal teams also) but got injured and suspended in the same season , tired of the mentality so decided to start playing indoors
Here's the problem with watching Fulham at home before having sucked down the first cup of coffe--too many ex-spurs players in white shirts--always takes me the first 5 minutes to wrap my brain around "possession by Simon Davies, Danny Murphy is not a good thing!"
Whoaa, don't blink!
Well done, VDV and Pavs!
Props to Clint for some impressive ball control and clever movement, but what the hell were our back line doing? Gallas didn't move as that ball crossed a few feet in front of him.
Decent half, great play by VDV for the goal!
Agree with ziegemonster about Gallas on Kamara's goal, but other than that relatively sound defensively.
Sandro looks solid, although Modric isn't having one of his greatest games - maybe change him for Kranjcar or Lennon to give us extra width? This may also give Bale, who hasn't seen much of the ball some extra space - they can't double up on both of them.
Don't get it why almost all game reports refer to a "controversial win"? Huds’ goal was regular because Gallas was in a passive offside position. Clear as fog, eh?
Gallas should not be blamed for Camara's goal. He didn't see the ball until too late to react. If anyone is to be blamed it should be Hutton for abandoning his position and leaving his side uncovered.
Thanks Belgian
Agreed beetleblues though I imagine if the shoe had been on the other foot we'd be moaning about it. Or at least I would :)
Making a mental note to remember that one next time we get a big call against us
football ... bloody hell
Martin Kettle can speak for himself all he wants. It is OK with me because he is entitled to his opinion.
However, he didn’t say fuck nothing when Reds were rolling in dough and bullied almost everyone. Now he says that “football is just a game”. Oh, yeah? Did anyone ever hear wining players commenting the game as “oh, it’s just a game”? Fuckhead.
Yeah don't see what all the fuss is about gallas wasn't active and didn't touch it but he did try to knock it in so it could be argued that he should be deemed active even though the law doesn't cover intent.
Anyway a moment of genius by vdV a couple of quality saves by gomes and thud's bolt win it for us. I wasn't there didn't pick up a dodgy stream and only saw brief highlights so i'm not in a position to say much. I will say this though not many will go to the cottage and come away with 3 points. Well done lads on another battling win. Go to inter with the belief of picking up a point.
Mark Hughes can fuck off too. He's apparently suggested thud influenced the ref. Fuck off.
This season is shaping up like jol's second 5th finish. Didn't score more than 3 goals in a single game that season. Looking that way so far this season forgetting ybb and twente.
I thought the goal was legit because it deflected off a defender on its way to Gallas. If the ball comes off a defender can it be offsides for a player to go for it?
Whatever happened, MD consulted with his linesman and then gave the goal. If we have to accept other crap decisions from the Refs then we have to accept this crap decision.
Fulham can feel hard done by and hopefully some other borderline decisions will go their way too.
Now we must focus on Inter and I hope King recovers for the Everton game.
A word on Gallas and Hutton. They must learn to work together fast. We have not kept a clean sheet in the EPL since the first game ! and only one in the Champions League! Surely cause for concern.
Did only see part of the game thanks to a dodgy internet connection , seems like it was a fairly even game with and we got away with the three points so well done lads
What did you guys think of the fulham striker Dembele ?
Gallas and Hutton at fault for the goal I think. Hutton not doing enough to help King and Gallas taking the positioning for granted. Should have been far more aware of his surroundings.
I think mr kettle has a bit of a chip on his shoulder. Probably just upset that mr. Pot called him black... ;)