Alan Brazil is a Tube

Fair do's, but you could break down any sport in a similar manner, a bunch
of guys dressed in white throwing a hard ball at three sticks... or.... a
bunch of women in bikinis tossing a ball from one side of a net to another,
on sand.

Yeah... but there again, who does these days?

Or their favourite colour.

Absolutely, but i'm not going along with the last bit, last time I crashed I
had feelings of despair, my shiny new two week old bike, mangled. My only
right leg knackered, who's gonna pay for the mess? Will they have to
amputate? why did I fall off? where's me fucking glove gone? Crashing is
overrated.

 

On Fri, 19 Sep 2003 19:11:35 +0100, rod dyno wrote:

I'm not sure, but I think that an England Argentina quarter final is
possible - depending on how Ireland do. I'd definitely stay in to watch
that.

And I go to football matches quite regularly. That really is much, much
better than watching it on TV.

 

Cup Finals are always dreadful, you clown.

 

Actually, outside the premiership, and particularly in Div 2 and 3
(ignoring for a moment non-league football, which is semi-pro) player's
earnings are really quite low. A lot of coppers, firemen, train
drivers, and other public servants earn more.

 

Hey, whatever rocks your boat. I've turned down several
corporate hostility events to see football; doubt I'd go in
the future whatever the game.

I must admit that I have no time for football and feel it's
greatly over-represented on TV. Currently we can see its
'star' is decending though so hopefully the amount of
airtime will be cut back.

I also despise the way that the gutter press present the top
footballers as idols for the brainless masses; but that's
hardly the fault of the footballers or the game. I guess
the footballers are put forwards since they're one of the
few successful sporting resources we have!

 

wrote

Right on. Sinister alien plot innit.

 

I hate football and I have been to live matches - it does nothing for me
at all. I like bike racing. None of that has to do with posturing to be
seen as "a real biker". I'd hope you wouldn't consider me to be that
shallow.

Yes and the fact *you* like it does not in any way invalidate the
arguments held by those who dislike it. You just need to accept the
arguments of other people as do other football fans that just because it
is "the national game" (whatever that means) that there is a part of the
nation that does not like it or accept the rationale as to its being our
main way of demonstrating national sporting prowess.

 

I prefer to go to a match, it can be joyous to be 1-0 up, and then
depressing to go 1-2 down. Mind you, I went down to the arsenal once and
watched a 5-0 spanking. That wasn't very joyous.

 

Well, firstly, it really is a question of personal taste. There's
nothing inherently 'wrong' with the game of football per se (in my
opinion, of course).

Now, here's my personal reasons for disliking it
- it encourages tribalism, which I can't fail to disconnect from the
violence that often follows
- it features too prominently in our national life
- it is part of the "lad culture' which I dislike.

 

And you'll *still* be losing some folk

Hmm. Let's hope thy're not back to their "losing away" tricks

 

I was 26 when I first got into motorbikes. I've been indifferent
towards football since early childhood. I have some loyalty towards
Everton (I try to suppress it these days); mainly because I have roots
on Merseyside, and the family were all Blues. A subtle indoctrination
as a child helped that - thanks very much, Unc. I would not choose to
watch the game, though. It may be relevant that I was more interested
in science than sport at school, and I was one of the fat kids that
no-one wanted on their team - absolutely no useful sporting ability or
interest whatsoever, a fact the games teachers (sadistic bastards all)
took every advantage of.

 

Human nature, surely. I'd rather people "got tribal" supporting their
football teams, with the subsequent, rare outbreaks of violence, than going
off and forming street gangs ...

 

Dunno about that - I was mad about football between the ages of 8 and
about 12. Went off it when I discovered girls and bikes.

 

Oh you suffered that particular curse as well.

I had the additional curse of a dad who had been the school sporting
hero so therefore I had to be just like him. Took him a long time to
realise I was never going to be any good so far as sports are concerned.

One day there will be vengeance against all games and PE teachers.
<fx: manic evil laugh>

 

Well, I have to admit I'm only a semi-detached rugby fan anyway. But,
of the above points:
- yes, there is tribalism, but almost never any violence
- it doesn't feature in our national life much (No "Becks" on the
front page every day
- not much 'lad culture' either, the way I see it.

 

I don't agree. But hey, that's what it's all about, isn't it?

Don't get me wrong - soccer's definitely *worse* on all those points
than rugby...

 

I think the main difference with rugby is that most of the violence is on
the pitch, so you get less in the stands. Also, the few football yobs who
seem incapable of watching a match without having a fight think rugby is a
poof's game so wouldn't be seen dead supporting it.

Interesting article here incidentally:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/3128202.stm

 

how many times have you seen violence after a soccer match?
how many times have you seen violence after a rugby match?

that's true - quite a lot on the telly, mind.

what do you mean by "lad" culture, then?

To me, it's cocky blokes 18-45 y/o drinking too much beer, leering at
women, etc...

 

Maybe not inside the stadium; but when the pubs in Twickenham have bouncers
on the door and close at 9pm on a match day, you do start to wonder ...

 

this was my take on it - I've been in pubs full of rugby fans, and
they *have* been causing a bit of trouble.

I've never really noticed it when I've been attending
matches/after-game drinks, probably because I've been one of the
people causing the trouble.