Sorry Swans fans I’m on the doggies bandwagon. It would be nice to see them win, especially for their long-time supporters. But I want to make a comment about the so-called ‘heartbreak’ fans of some clubs seem to endure for years on end. I love sport and will rarely miss an opportunity to be involved in it. There is a whole section of this website devoted to sport, but I never get too carried away (any more). I have written elsewhere that I feel the ‘win at all costs’ attitude many people bring to sport is no excuse for being an appalling human being. It is a myth that anything happens on the field is excusable due to the stress of the situation. Stressful situations are where you reveal who you truly are. Now I want to talk about us supporters. It is great feeling when your team wins, especially in a close game or against the odds. The scenes of jubilation in the crowd after a close game always bring a smile to my face.
But our teams don't always win and they will inevitably disappoint us at some point. There is no reason to let such events have an emotional impact on us. These are groups of people who don’t know who we are. Whether they win or lose the game, it will have little real impact on our quality of life or theirs. So I never get too upset watching sport and talk of the 'heartbreak' or 'suffering' of Bulldogs and St Kilda fans should really be put in context in the modern world. If you want something to get upset about try: Senseless deaths from terrorism, Continued deaths on our road from dangerous driving, Abuse of refugees in detention, Lack of action on climate change, The blatant corruption of the liberal party (when they say openly that they need to change their superannuation policy because it cost them donations, they are not even trying to hide it), The situation in Syria The plebiscite, And it’s not just sport either. I could make the same point about loathsome reality TV or Triple J’s Hottest 100. The campaign to force Arnotts to change back to the old BBQ Shapes recipe probably got more public interest than the Nauru Files! This is certainly not a criticism of those who love sport. I don't begrudge people enjoying their team's success. I think one of the great things in life is finding things that you really enjoy and giving plenty of time and energy to them. It is more of a lament about human nature I suppose. The fact that for many of us, the outcome of artificially contrived competitions and other equally trivial matters impact on us more than the above issues suggests a level of dissociation from real problems facing the country that is a little troubling. The term, ‘Bread and circuses,’ was once used to describe the leaders who sought to distracting their subjects from the failures of their society. Perhaps a modern day equivalent would be, 'BBQ Shapes and football.'
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