This is a love story that I don't quite fully understand yet, but have attempted to. I will be sharing with you today, some information based on my findings.
Before I begin, I would like to say...I know men aren't the only lovers of soccer, we have some women folk who are also as passionate if not more passionate about soccer, but I believe men hold the larger percentage of soccer lovers, hence this post. So let's begin shall we?
HOW IT (MAY HAVE) BEGAN...
1. Sitting across the playground in his primary or possibly nursery school, little man could not help but notice the fascinating round object the older students were kicking around, they were running, shouting and jumping around the field with so much excitement and energy that little man sat there in amazement. "What manner of game is this?" little man thought to himself.
2. Watching from under the protective arms of his mother, little man looked on in wonderment as the neighborhood kids kicked a round rubber object around and shouting joyously when the ball passed in between two strategically placed legs of someones slippers that little man came to understand was a makeshift goal post. "hmm...I would love to try that out" little man thought to himself while plotting how to get a hold of some of his mothers papers to roll up into a ball to "practice" kicking at home. You can be sure what little man's mother did to him when she found this out...but that's not why we are here.
3. From their mothers womb (an unexplainable phenomenon).
AND THEN CAME CUPID...
Some of the little male folk were lucky or unlucky (depends on how you look at it) to have dodged cupids arrow, some barely missed the almost always precise shot of the famous love bow, as they were slightly grazed by the arrow leaving a not so serious love wound, others were shot straight in the bulls eye of the heart...and thus began a never ending love. Even after said cupid shot had been fired, some didn't even realize they were "soccer whipped" until they found themselves breaking up with girlfriends over soccer league finals.
Rumors have it that, said love is greater than that which is shared between a man and a woman hmmm, i don't know oh! I wouldn't want to put anybody in trouble oh! but ehm...rumors also have it that if a man should pause or interrupt his soccer game for a lady, the woman had better go buy a ring to propose, unto say na real love be dat. I even overheard one man refer to soccer as...in fact let me use his exact words "it's as sleek and sexy as a good kiss"...but you didn't hear this from me oh! *lips sealed* In truth, i can neither confirm nor deny these rumors, only a man in love (with soccer) has such capacity. So ladies I suggest you ask your man today if these rumors are valid. Side note to the men; be VERY cautious with your response!
I have digressed, now back to the topic...
ON PICKING A PARTNER...
As we all know, love can only be best expressed when directed to a particular target, this is why a person cannot love many people at a time. For this reason, man (possibly not little anymore) may feel the need to exercise his commitment and loyalty by scouting for a partner, a lover...or as you may know it, a football/soccer club.
Physical attributes/characteristics such as mode of play, traditions of the club, the quality and expertise of players, number of trophies won, the coaches and sometimes even the color of the club jersey, are put into consideration when picking a partner. It is usually a case of love at first watch.
Although there are those that couldn't care less about attributes or characteristics, their decisions are simply swayed by the preference of the general public/friends and maybe by number of victories and losses of said club.
THE EMOTIONS INVOLVED...
There are serious emotions involved! The day I watched my country play in a world cup match, I was close to tears when the match ended, and it left me wondering, if i'm not a die hard soccer lover and I felt this way, how then do the men who almost worship their clubs feel in the event of a win or a loss? I honestly can't imagine.
People cry, break things and argue pointlessly where their club is concerned...these emotions run deep I tell ya!
IT GETS DEEPER...
They say too much of everything is a bad thing, and in most cases, it becomes an addiction. Soccer is not excluded from addiction possibilities.
Below is what I gathered from my research:
"Soccer is a sport that almost anyone can attempt to participate in, as such it unites many people the same way religion unites people. It is an alternative addiction for some/most humans. Humans are known to need something to fixate on, the strength of this fixation is largely dependent on the nature of the feeling you get when you first start the addiction.
Now for someone who just started supporting a club, they only become die hard fans if the club is able to confirm the faith they've placed in it, and sustained this faith for a considerable period of time (e.g. by winning multiple games/trophies). That is the time which is needed to let the love of football sink in and take roots. Once this period is reached, they begin to lose their head over the game, and begin to allow sentiments take over.
When a club confirms a fans faith in it by winning its games or giving expected results for a period of time, addiction or fanaticism sets in and gradually takes root. Afterwards, said fan begins to misbehave depending on the amount of logic remaining after addiction has set in." -El'Jayson
So that's it folks. Have anything to add? Please don't hesitate to leave a comment
Yours, in the love of soccer (or maybe not)
Labels: Rants and Bants
