Football, Tribalism and Masculinity
I have never been a football fan, not even as a kid. I found the game uncouth, noisy and too alluring. I always put this down to the fact that I was not a sporty kid, so did not play sports - unless forced by sadistic PE teachers. One of these teachers use to call me 'golden bum'. Do not worry, I was not sexually abused by my teacher. In the early 1980s, it was still acceptable to have a laugh at other people's expense. My name was 'Nicholas', which can be pronounced as 'Nickle-Arse'. It is only a small jump to get to 'Golden-Bum'.
In my 20s, I became a bit of a football fan because my friends would go to the pub to watch Manchester United games live on Sky Sports. I went for the beer initially but eventually got semi-hooked on the entertainment part of the afternoon. I noticed I did not enjoy the big games as much as the meaningless ones. I knew why - the atmosphere in the pub was not the same. I felt the tension and the excitement, but this was not what concerned me.
As a man, I can sense violence and disorder long before they appear. It is beneficial to have such a sense. It was this sense that would go into overdrive during important matches. Calm and considerate individuals would vent their hatred of the opposing team towards the TV. Vile insults would be thrown at individual players. It seemed that the audience in the pub would feed off each other and raise the abuse to the highest levels. There was something about being part of a crowd that affects weak-willed individuals. It brought back memories of 1970s football hooliganism which had subconsciously turned me off the sport as a child.
Recently, a new friend invited to me a few games at Old Trafford to watch Manchester United play. The selling point was the tickets were corporate hospitality seats which meant free food and drinks. Of course, it was a 'Yes Please!' from me.
The first two games I attended were great afternoons. Great company, great food, and plenty of beer. It was similar to my experience sitting in pubs in my 20s watching Sky Sports. These live games were such a pleasant experience. I had no call to think about my views of football or my experience of watching grown men lose control.
This all ended on my third invitation. Manchester United vs Tottenham Hotspur. Even before I reached the stadium it all felt different. I saw police officers on every corner, some with dogs. I even saw police ‘spotters’ with binoculars sitting on a roof scanning the crowd for known troublemakers. On my two previous visits, I do not recall seeing a single police officer, only private security guards. I gave it no real thought for I had a drink and appetizers waiting for me.
The game started. No one took a knee to the racist Marxists, aka BLM. Players had knelt at the two previous games I had attended - I booed on both occasions to my friend's amusement.
Manchester United took a shot at goal, it was not on target but very close. I saw a wave of supporters jump up as if it had been a goal. It reminded me of a flock of starlings or a shoal of fish that turn together in unison and remain in formation. I had not seen this at the other matches. It got me thinking.
The supporters had not all jumped up together at the same time, even though they had all seen the same thing. They had jumped up slightly later than the person sitting to their right, thus creating the illusion of a wave.
The only explanation I could reach was each supporter was 'triggered' to stand up by the reaction of the person sitting to their right. There was no time to contemplate or analyse the situation they had just seen. It was a reflex action, like breathing and blinking, it happened automatically.
A million questions shot through my head. Why did the supporters all stand up? What made them do it? Did they feel under pressure to stand because others were standing? Was it considered rude not to stand? Was it a visual sign of compliance or tribal loyalty? Was it custom, learnt behaviour, or mass psychosis within a crowd?
This simple observation got me thinking. What else was going on in the stadium that most people do not see or understand? I spend the next hour searching out the hidden secrets of human behaviour in football. Unfortunately, I cannot tell you what happened in the rest of the game for I was far too busy.
The next incident that struck me was a chant from the crowd. It started quietly but within two seconds the stadium vibrated as the volume exponentially increased. Within another two seconds, it diminished and disappeared. Surreal. It was as if it had been practised and orchestrated.
These chants are extremely well known. Some are replaced over time but it is a very slow process for they must be known by the many, not the few. The meaning of the chant is not that important, only participating in the act. It is not only a visual sign of membership in the group but also a self-validation of your belonging. It is very similar to the shouts of 'Allahu Akbar' by Muslims during protests. It is a quick and simple way to discern who is on your side and to give a warning to others – like the rattle of a particular snake's tail or the roar of a lion.
Noise is a very good tool in phycological warfare. Armies would bang their shields before the battle commenced to create a wall of noise to intimidate the enemy. British riot police still use this tactic today. Remember Joshua and the walls of Jericho? More recently in 1989, the Americans used blaring heavy-metal music to force the surrender of Panamanian Dictator Manuel Noriega. The Americans invaded and Noriega sought refuge in the Vatican Embassy until he could cope no longer and opened the doors.
A football pitch is a substitute battlefield, there are two armies, albeit small armies with roughly a dozen soldiers on each side. They wear specific uniforms so they can be identified. They have spent time practising formations and tactics to be in the best position to beat their enemy. And ultimately, they are led by a captain on the field of battle.
Every army needs a general and football is no different. Someone who is in ultimate control of everything and plans each confrontation in detail. These individuals are too valuable to lose in battle, so sit in safety upon a hill and watch the carnage below. They signal commands to try to influence the battle. In football, we call this person the Manager.
Football supporters are the representation of the citizens of the lands of these armies. This is why most teams are named after their locality. They are modern-day warring tribes that fulfil our need to belong to a vocal, fearless group of people who feel connected. It is the acceptable face of tribalism.
Most fans inherit the team to support from family, especially from their father, and never change allegiance. It is similar to being born into one religion and never converting to another. You are born red or blue and will die red or blue.
Ensuring you set a child's preference as early as possible guarantees allegiance into the long term. This is why we have such a push by LGBTQ activists to get into schools, libraries, and children's entertainment. Persuade a child today and have an ally for life.
"Give me a child until he is 7 and I will show you the man." - Aristotle
It seems obvious to me that children are indoctrinated into supporting the team of someone else's choice. This is why football clubs create merchandise and football kits for children, including newborn babies – they are groomed every birthday and Christmas.
Wars produce heroes and football is no different. Specific individuals are placed on pedestals as a reward for their feats, actions and deeds. Songs are sung about them. They go down in history as legends and myths – unless, of course, they betray the tribe and move to a rival club while in their prime. This is treason.
Football today is one of the only circumstances where masculinity is praised and rewarded. To be the best. To win. To be aggressive. To earn money. To be a leader. To be criticised for your mistakes and shortcomings. To be mocked. To be hated. To be sacked for not being good enough. It all comes under the heading of Personal Responsibility.
There is no outcry that females are not playing in the men's teams or that we do not have enough diversity from Asia. No one really cares about football players raping women or clubs being bought by Middle Eastern princes. Over six thousand slaves have died building the Qatar stadiums. While at the same time British footballers were taking a knee to Black Lives Matter. The irony!
"Winning isn't everything, it's the only thing" - Henry Russell Sanders
Throughout the game, I noticed something on the pitch that I did not like. Something that has no benefit to society, especially as it is practised by our heroes and legends. Cheating. To be kind, let us call it unsportsmanlike behaviour.
We have always had cheating in sports and always will. I would guess, we have less today than at any other point due to cameras, drug testing and other technologies. But it still persists and in football, it has become part of the game. We have players in the UK from countries where cheating is socially acceptable. This is one type of cultural appropriation I would be happy to reject.
I witnessed players falling to the ground as if they had been shot and killed. Motionless. The game stopped to check on the injured. Only to have the player jump up and run the length of the pitch. An obvious ploy to stop the game for whatever reason.
The most common unsportsmanlike behaviour was kicking away the ball after the game had been paused for a foul, throw-in, or corner. In nearly every instance, the opposing team wished to restart the game quickly so required the ball. Yet, securing the ball was difficult for it would be kicked away. The purpose was to delay the restart of the game to allow players to get into defensive positions. All very un-English.
The reason the West is the most prosperous region of the world is that we follow the rules more than other regions. Even within Europe, the most prosperous countries follow the rules more than others. The only way to play a game for the benefit of all players is to follow the rules. If not, then chaos rules for there is no trust.
A novel example of cheating is the new issue of transwomen competing in female sports - biological men pretending to be women so they can be crowned a champion. Success at any cost. The drive within some men to win can be huge and all-consuming. We have Para Olympians self-harming before contests to increase their heart rate, blood flow and adrenaline. Spain was stripped of gold medals for entering non-disabled individuals into the Para Olympics. And let us not forget, the greatest road cyclist ever, Lance Armstrong, who used illegal drugs throughout his whole career to cheat.
We all want to emulate our heroes and be like them. If we witness them constantly cheat and get away with it, then it should come as no surprise when it is copied. Not following the rules can become a new societal trait. We need to be careful that we are not sowing the seeds of our own demise.
Allow me to end on a positive note. Football is the world's number one sport for a reason. It has several real lessons for us all to live our lives by. To be successful you need help from others. Hard work and dedication are rewarded. Missed opportunities are not the end of the world.
Most importantly, in my opinion, be a player in life, not a spectator.
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