As their teams go by the wayside, soccer fans often find themselves needing to regroup and find another team to support, lest they risk isolating themselves from the euphoria that is the World Cup. Rather than relying on sport related reasons when choosing another team to support, some soccer fans choose to go beyond the game and delve into history. These fans offer some of the most illogical (and often humorous) reasons for their decisions.
While watching the Germany v. Netherlands semifinal match, a fan told me (tongue-in-cheek of course) that he would root for the Dutch because he felt that they have been more contrite in their guilt over colonization, unlike other European powers like the French, Spanish and British. Mind you, this same fan who makes colonization a centerpiece of his rationale, doesn’t find it hard to cheer for a nation whose colonization of the host nation led to the evils of Apartheid.
Another casual soccer observer was elated by the Dutch triumph over Germany. When asked why, she jokingly said that she didn’t want the Germans to win because of the sins of Nazi Germany.
Another fan billed the Netherlands v. Spain Final as the battle of Apartheid v. the Spanish Inquisition. With such choices, he joked that he was stuck and couldn’t in good conscience cheer for either side.
While these historical moments in time are far from funny, holding soccer players accountable for them borders on humorous. Although the logic is clearly lacking, the level of creativity is not. How else can one explain pinning the brutality of the Spanish Inquisition on David Villa or the evils of Nazi Germany on Miroslav Klose or the sins of Apartheid on Wesley Sneijder? Never mind the fact that they weren’t even born when these horrors took place. In the court of football opinion, they must be held accountable and made to suffer the excruciating humiliation of losing a soccer match. Then, and only then, can we reconcile the sins of the past and make things right.
Although these rationalizations are often made jokingly, one has to wonder how heartfelt these statements are in reality. The truth may actually lie somewhere in between. Soccer is a rather complex sport because it enables people around the world to interact with one another on and off the pitch. Because of this unique quality, on the international level, a game of soccer is often more than just a game. It is a game that is played with the weight of history, with the baggage of politics and culture never far behind. That’s why the World Cup is observed with such passion. We’re allowed to live out our Old World and New World grudges, whether rational or not, through soccer games, complete with their militaristic anthems. Teams and their fans cloak themselves in nationalist sentiments, and with that comes the good, the bad and sometimes the very ugly from years gone by, a ready-made cocktail for amateur historical commentators eager to display their wit.
The amazing part of such tongue-in-cheek reasoning is that otherwise perfectly rational, logical people arrive at such conclusions. From doctors to lawyers and teachers, it appears no one is immune from such crafty logic when faced with the prospect of not having a team to support. It seems that the pull of being a fan and being emotionally invested in a game trumps the need to make sense, which makes sense, since being a fan is more about faith than rational decision making. And I suppose it’s easier to have faith in one team when the other team is guilty of, say, the Spanish Inquisition.
Logic aside, these rationalizations do make for some truly memorable banter while watching a match. Without them, the World Cup experience just wouldn’t be the same. And that’s all good, so long as people are aware that they may sound insane.
