Football is, in essence, a really dumb sport. If you really think about it 11 people (generally men) are trying to get an oblong ball across a line. Now only a few of those men are allowed to touch it. Two players: One, the de facto leader, and one the man who lifts it out of the dirt and grass, touch it about every time and then hand it or throw it to another man who must run towards the line until knocked to the ground. There are a number of rules surrounding the movement of this ball, all designed to limit the way in and number of times which the ball can be touched. The men, armored about the head and body, are expected to use a great deal of aggression towards their end goal of getting the ball across the line or taking it away from someone else. However, if they are too aggressive or not showing the proper form of aggression, or showing aggression towards the leader –especially that one–then one of the judges throws a yellow flag and moves their ball further from the target. This is football.
None of this is why I believe we love the sport so much. I believe the rules and general execution of the game are a hinderance. Football exists because we want to believe in something tangible. We want to believe that our side is better than the other side in whatever meaningless contest is being held, but we fight to give meaning to that contest. We defend that contest largely because to admit the foolishness of the contest is to admit that we ourselves are fools and have been sucked in to foolishness.
The hardest thing for a person with any sort of ego to do is to admit that they are wrong. There is the fear of the ridicule from being wrong but beyond this there is the moment where we are forced to question ourselves, our beliefs, and all we have built up as being of value and watch it fall down.
I saw a graphic arguing that Maslow’s hierarchy could be applied to fan relationships. I’m reposting it below:
Turns out I’m not the first person to think about this…