It isn't "just sport"
RH
Posted on December 1, 2010 by Robert Henderson
Sport has a particular importance to England at present
because sporting sides are the only source of national focus the
English have. The English are denied a parliament, they are
betrayed by their political elite who shudder at the idea of
English nationalism, they are constantly insulted by the national
media, but the national sides continue. These sporting institutions
permit the English to articulate their feelings as a tribe. Even
English men and women without any interest in sport should support
them for that reason if no other.
Those who say “it’s only sport” should stand back and reflect on
the amount of time, effort and money which is spent throughout the
world on sport. Women may be generally less enthusiastic, but sports
obviously speak to a deep seated desire within men.
Read more at
http://englandcalling.wordpress.com/2010/12/01/it-isnt-just-sport/
FACE
<anywh...@gmail.com>, wrote
I believe that the literal obsession with national teams in England and
most particularly on the European continent as well as other places is the
fruition of William James' statements that in the absence of real war
there is a requirement for the moral equivalent of war for the survival
and the satiation of the species. This can be seen in the English
football hooligans -- if that animal is not extinct -- and the faux
patriotism of peoples frantically cheering a soccer team for the sole
reason that it is their countries'.
FACE