Part time football fans...

[furie]

I just had a friend who had a (semi-joking) go at me for wanting to go shopping tonight at 7:30 to take advantage of the quiet time caused by the football.

He thinks I should be watching the game and supporting my country.

Oddly, he usually joins in with me having a pop at our other friend (the three of us chat a lot each day) about his football obsession.

I'm pretty straight on this. I find football a dull game to watch and a dull game to play. I just find it dull.

I'm not criticising football, it's my opinion. It's supported massively and has a large appeal, so that's fine if you like it.

What I hate, are football hypocrites. People who suddenly discover football (or other sports, but World Cup time brings them screaming from the woodwork) when there's a mass hype machine pushing it.

Women who would usually divorce their husbands for even thinking of watching a soccer match in the pub on a Wednesday afternoon are in the pubs with them.

As soon as (your country) are out, then the interest vanishes.

I know it's a "support your country" thing, but nobody is hurrying to watch the English Sheep Shearing team try to take first place form the Auzzies for the first time in two decades. It's a kind of football madness.

I'd say for people who are genuine football supporters, and who watch regularly and are often huffed at (or have eyes trolled at them for loving their hobby) are even more aggravated by this?

Anyway, it annoys me, what about you?

 

[nealbie]

I can understand people changing views to support their country - they don't have to like the sport, but it provides a sense of national union over a few pints in the pub. So no-one's necessarily caring much for what's on the tele. I mean - people cheer loudly in the pub on a regular basis, who are we to stop them from doing it all at the same time? :lol:

Interesting that you should post this now, as Stone Cold will be here later, and whilst he doesn't care much for football at all, he suggested we go to t'pub and watch the game over a few drinks. Any reason for him and I to shout loudly and be accepted into the community......

I actually fear for the well-being of The Bishop's Blaise tehe!

 

[jayjay]

I'm a tiny bit like this. I wouldn't ever watch a world cup match, because like Furie, I find football dull. But I do check up on how we're doing in the cup. I'll be aware of certain significant matches. I don't really care how people react to football when it's hype driven. It means nothing to me (oh Vienna).

edit: cheers Furie I've got that song in my head now

 

[ciallkennett]

I don't mind people who decide to watch the footy just because England are playing, nor do I mind people who decide never to watch it. What irritates me most is people who tell me to stop talking about football during occasions and tournaments such as he World Cup.

I just hate Americans calling it "soccer" :roll:

But yeah, I'm a football-mad person and I don't mind.

 

[furie]

I'd just like to point something out (JayJay made me think about it).

I DO follow the result to a degree. I don't hide my head in the sand to avoid it completely. It's a "world news" kind of item, and something that you should always keep abreast of as you would any other thing that is on the world's consciousness. Though I couldn't tell you who won the last world cup for instance :lol:

Neal, I understand people using the World Cup as "an excuse", but present it as such, and don't feign interest?

I'v enever understood how watching 22 men run around a field chasing a pigs bladder intensifies the feeling of national identity though. 22 men sitting around in a field with a calor gas stove failing to heat a cup of tea - while complaining about the weather; THAT would be understandable!

 

[Mike]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OOfJjHozCEc&feature=related[/youtube]

My views are pretty much the same as David Mitchell's! :lol:

 

[Ollie]

I don't care about football at all. I find it boring to watch and boring to play because I'm no good at it.
The fact that it's the world cup doesn't bother me. The only match I kinda watched was the last England one when I had it on in the background.
I don't mind people watching it but it annoys me when football fans have a go at people who don't like/watch football for being 'unpatriotic' and stupid.
I'm sorry but I can think of loads of things I'd rather do that watch grown men kick a ball around the pitch for over 90 minutes.

 

[nealbie]

<3 David Mitchell - could have really done with that in an argument earlier :lol:

And Furie... because people are never going to admit to being an alcoholic, that's why

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ur5fGSBsfq8&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]

 

[kimahri]

Vuvuzela > Football.

 

[Snoo]

Soccer?

 

[furie]

Ball + foot - hands = Football

 

[Snoo]

So you definitely mean Soccer then?

 

[furie]

So you definitely mean Soccer then?

No, Football. Soccer is a word made up to help thickies who think a game involving holding a ball should be called football

You can have skillet and faucet, but we get to keep football Change football to soccer, and I demand you use the words frying pan and tap. It's all medieval, or nothing

No wonder you can only get a draw, you can't even call it the the right name

 

[Anonymous]

I'm just so happy that Sweden failed to get into the world championship, it's so much more quiet now
Yeah I agree, that "part-time" football fans are a bit irritating (like my dad is at the moment). Even though it would be more likely that I would watch a game if Sweden were playing, but I wouldn't be raving on and on about it.

I haven't watched a game so far this year

 

[Martyn]

22 men run around a field chasing a pigs bladder

This kind of thing annoys me. Trying to make a sport sound utterly ridiculous and pointless by describing its bare details, so to make the person who enjoys it seem like some sort of lower class of life. It's not like the football fan is going to go "You know what? You're right! I've been wasting my life!"

And, you can do it for all sports, so they just cancel each other out anyway.


Regarding the actual point... it's a strange one. I quite like how sports come and go. I love it when Wimbledon comes around and I'll pay attention to the tennis (but not at any other time of year), same with the Snooker and sometimes even the Darts. I guess the only reason I get into them is because they're pushed at me through the media, harder than usual.

I'm not really a fan of the faux patriotism, though... fair enough, support your country, but some people take it too far.

I saw a really awfully written "Come on England" rant on Facebook earlier today. I think if you're going to support your country, the least you can do is actually learn to speak the language.

 

[Snoo]

^Agreed. Track and Field seems to run that route for most of the world. No one gives a **** until the Olympics.

 

[CMonster]

^ Well, obviously, because nobody ever really hears about track meets outside of the Olympics (and maybe the World Champs, but that's a stretch).

It's the same thing with swimming. And lots of other sports. Like Ping Pong. :wink:

 

[LiveForTheLaunch]

Wow that's weird, I was just talking about this today. Yes, they annoy me.. They're not true fans, they just follow the hype because it's the cool thing to do.

 

[Ben]

To be fair, track is for gays.

I don't really mind people only getting into it for the World Cup. I do only watch the England matches too, but, that's because it's about all I can take. I've got a lot more into football this year, but, I still don't like internationals. Club football's so much fabber. So, I watch just the England matches not out of some fakeness but only cause it's all I can take.

 

[Snoo]

lol track is for gays? That's a new one.