Why Sports and Being a Sports Fan is Important

 

Why Sports and being a Sports Fan is Important

 Sports have been around for a long time, but in the last 150 years it has become more than just a game. Its become peoples job, and has become peoples love. There are now events like the Olympics, and FIFA World Cup that have brought people together in peace and hope. Sports are a get away for some, others it's merely part of their life. But on game day inside a stadium, a bar, or with your friends there is no other feeling like it. But sports have also brought out the worst in people. Racism, classism, and religious prejudice have scarred cities, countries, and people. But even in these dark situations people come out to make a change. In this blog I’ll be talking about why sports are important and why there are many benefits about being a sports fan. In this blog I'll be focusing on soccer because of its worldwide popularity. It gives me a wider range of religion, politics, and so on.

Being a Sports Fan and the Health Benefits

    Sports are a great way to stay in shape, but being a sports fan also has benefits. In a Huffington Post article, By Anna Almendrala she talks about its psychological, and social impact on peoples lives. She has four points in it and these are it.It gives people a built in community, which gives them a sense of well being. Much like the Olympics and World Cup it gives people a common language. People know the rules the same even if you speak another language. Sports allow you to feel success. You follow a team for a long time and when they win a championship you feel all good inside. Sports have also become an outlet for people's emotions to be shown without judgement and be considered acceptable. Especially with men.

Some emotions shown by sports fans:

Joy

 

Excitement

Sad

Confusion

Community

Sports and Politics

    In the 1998 FIFA World Cup the USA and Iran were drawn into the same group. At this time the two countries had much tension and the game between them was being heavily covered and people thought something bad would happen. But before the first kick the Iran coaches and players brought out white flowers to give to the Americans. That moment would for that short time bring the Iran and American people together and is one of many moments when people saw the good in others.

    Sports and the its Negative Impact  

 Sports aren’t always positive in many places sports can take on the image of its people and become a violent place for racism, classism, and religious disputes. Which can lead to people getting hurt. More often than not these come out in rivalries. One rivalry sticks out above all others. The Old Firm rivalry between Celtics and Rangers, in Glasgow, Scotland. These two rivals have storied histories, always competing for championships, and the city of Glasgow. But what sets this rivalry apart is the off field issues. Celtics represented the Catholic population, and Rangers the Protestants. It has also recently represented the two political parties. There have been many violent feuds between the fans before, during, and after games. It was advised that you didn’t wear green and white hoops in Protestant areas and red and blue in catholic areas. This was bloods vs Crips but on a more civil level. One such occasion has forever changed the off field behavior of the two fans, and religions. In this news article by Bill Murray he explains what happens. “ In Glasgow, violence and abuse have gone well beyond football hooliganism. No longer can people view the conflict solely as football fans rioting after an exciting victory or a heartbreaking defeat. Cara Henderson realized this at age 15 when her boyfriend was murdered for supporting the wrong team. On October 7, 1995, Mark Scott was murdered by sectarianism.

On the day that he would die, Mark Scott's mother urged him not to wear his Celtic top in case it brought him trouble. Zipping his jacket to cover the green and white hoops, the 16-year-old schoolboy had laughed. "Don't worry, Mum," he said. "They don't do that kind of thing any more." But they did, and hours later Mark had his throat cut by a man who picked him at random from a group of Celtic supporters as they walked home from a match through a Protestant area of Glasgow. His jacket was still zipped (A Game of Two Halves).

The Mark Scott tragedy is one of many that have plagued the rivalry between Celtic and Rangers in the recent years. Like Scott, people were not aware of the level of seriousness that which sectarianism had reached. It took a personal tragedy and the love for a lost friend to prompt action. Cara Henderson was so motivated by the killing that she launched "Nil By Mouth", a campaign to put an end to sectarianism in Scotland. In 1999, four years after her friend’s murder, Henderson took it into her own hands to increase awareness and stop the violence on the streets of Glasgow and throughout all of Scotland. Recognizing that the problem existed in the way that people thought, Henderson devised a program to improve education and increase awareness of sectarianism. Addressing the murder of her friend, Henderson thought that, "when that Rangers fan stepped out from the pub doorway and looked into the crowd of Celtic fans he didn't see Mark the schoolboy, Mark the brot! her, the son, the friend...he saw Mark the Fenian, Mark the tim..." (Sanders, Old Firm Supporters). With the help of others, Henderson launched her anti-sectarianism campaign with the following objectives:

• To inform the general public about, and promote through education and awareness of, the problems of sectarianism and bigotry within Scottish society
• To promote the integration within Scottish society and the celebration of cultural diversity
• To encourage people to respect all cultures and to resist sectarianism, racism and bigotry in any shape or form
• To encourage everyone to take responsibility for their own attitudes and language, recognizing that this will help to change our society
• To raise awareness of the damage, violence and death in our society resulting from sectarian behavior (Sanders, Campaigns).”

Despite this sad and tragic event it has done tons to smooth over the tension between the two sides, but it still is a big issue in Glasgow.

Sports and the Hope for Change

    Not all rivalries have sad stories of conflict, some like the El Clasico in Spain, between Real Madrid and Barcelona. In the the 1930’s and 40’s these two would become the images of the Dictator and the rich, and the rebels and the poor. Real Madrid was Francisco Franco the dictator of Spain’s favorite team. His political opponent a Democratic leader and president of rival Barcelona Josep Sunyol was executed without trial. Barcelona would become the symbol of hope in the reign of Franco. The club represented the peoples freedom and when they finally got it it was glorious. The rivalry is still to this day the same, Real Madrid is a major draw for rich people and Barcelona for the middle class and below.

Sports Rivalries around the World and What they Mean

  Rivalries now a days have other meanings. Some cities are split between teams, like New York, London, Milan, Rome, and Los Angeles. Others are for entire regions like Cascadia, or the Ruhr. In the Ruhr, Schalke and Dortmund two of the loudest and proudest fans in Germany, and the World play for the region, both cities have become much like how Detroit and Cleveland have become This rivalry is a bright spot for both cities and gives them pride. In the Pacific Northwest, the Seattle Sounders, Portland Timbers, and Vancouver Whitecaps play for the Cascadia Cup and domination of the Great Pacific Northwest. In Cities like Milan where AC Milan and Inter Milan, The Jets and Giants play for ownership of the city.These are what the people in these places live for. They love the competition, they love the atmosphere, and they love the game. But the game wouldn’t happen if the fans didn’t come.

Sports and their representation of its people

   The World Cup and Olympics show the world how certain countries are. Sticking with soccer for instance, teams like Brazil, Argentina, and Colombia are very flashy in the way they play. Its fast pace and fancy. Much like the people who live there. Where as current World Cup champs Germany, are more systematic, and controlled. They are often called the "Machine" referencing the way they play. The country is very much like this, and its why its the most financially stable nation in the world right now.    

Asking People on Fancred why Sports are Important

    I decided that to get a bit more personal and more in depth I’d ask people on Fancred why they think sports are important? (Currently still getting information, Hope to have it as soon as possible)

Conclusion

Sports are more than just a game. Its something people can go to get away from reality. But sometimes that reality can be brought to the game. In a chaotic world sports have always been there to bring people together. It is a language and culture of its own. It has its good and bad, but so does everything else in the world. Sports are a place emotions are accepted, being bright and colorful is fun, and being loud is normal. Sports are more than just entertainment, it's is a culture, and lifestyle. Sports are important.

   

 

Citations: 

(Sports and the its Negative Impact)
"A Game of Two Halves." The Guardian.
http://football.guardian.co.uk/News_Story/0,1563,491160,00.html
Murray, Bill. The Old Firm: Sectarianism, Sport and Society in Scotland. John DonaldPublishers, Edinburgh, 1984."Renaissance and Reformation." 

 (Sports and the Hope for Change)
  "Castilian Oppression v Catalan Nationalism – “El Gran Classico”." FootballBlog.co.uk. 2 Sept. 2009. Web. 4 Mar. 2015. <http://footballblog.co.uk/castilian-oppression-v-catalan-nationalism-el-gran-classico.html>.
  
(Being a Sports Fan and the Health Benefits)
Almendrala, Anna. "How Being A Sports Fan Makes You Happier And Healthier." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 30 Jan. 2015. Web. 4 Mar. 2015. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/30/sports-fan-mental-health-benefits_n_6565314.html>.