Received: by alpheratz.cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk id OAA09947 (8.6.9/5.3[ref pg@gmsl.co.uk] for cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk from fmb-bounces@mmu.ac.uk); Fri, 7 Sep 2001 14:52:47 +0100 From: "Lawrence DeBivort" <debivort@umd5.umd.edu> To: <memetics@mmu.ac.uk> Subject: RE: FW: England humour Date: Fri, 7 Sep 2001 09:52:54 -0400 Message-ID: <NEBBKOADILIOKGDJLPMACEAFCGAA.debivort@umd5.umd.edu> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Priority: 3 (Normal) X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook IMO, Build 9.0.2416 (9.0.2910.0) In-Reply-To: <20010907123812.AAA7538@camailp.harvard.edu@[128.103.125.215]> Importance: Normal X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V5.00.2919.6600 Sender: fmb-bounces@mmu.ac.uk Precedence: bulk Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
Wade, question: do these sport rivalries exacerbate or assuage xenophobia?
On a personal note, though I've played these team sports (soccer, rugby,
hockey) I've enver found myself interested in watching games played by
others, or been a fan of any team. I don't understand fan-dom and marvel at
the ability of fans to think that a team's performance reflects glory or
defeat on them.
The recent soccer game here in Washington, DC between USA and Honduras (I
think it was) was interesting to read about: the press covered the fan
rivalry as much as it did the game itself. US fans were trying to outdo the
Honduras fans so as to provide the US team with a 'home-field advantage'.
The US soccer authorities are trying to build US spectator interest in
soccer, and apparently think that by fanning spectator rivalry they will
build interest in the game. So virtual hooliganism was encouraged: the
Honduran team was to be confronted at the airport by jeering US fans (to
counter the tales of US players in foreign countries being pelted and jeered
by native fans); the stadium authorities relegated ticket purchasers with
spanish surnames to the 'nose-bleed' sections of the stadium; the US
spectator's lack of hooliganistic fervor was criticized and compared
unfavorably to the 'true' fans of foreign teams, and implicitly the poor
play of the US team was blamed on this lack of zealous fan support.
Thus my question, above. US citizens have no sense of xenophobia re.
Honduras (indeed, most wouldn't know where Honduras even is -- but that's
another story), but now, as a result of this bizarre soccer-related event, a
handful of people in this country will actually have some xenophobia
regarding Honduras. One can also argue that another handful will know a bit
more about Honduras, realize that there are real people there and that, as
proven by their soccer 'victory', they may even have admirable traits...
Lawry
> -----Original Message-----
> From: fmb-bounces@mmu.ac.uk [mailto:fmb-bounces@mmu.ac.uk]On Behalf Of
> Wade T.Smith
> Sent: Friday, September 07, 2001 8:38 AM
> To: memetics list
> Subject: RE: FW: England humour
>
>
> On 09/07/01 06:58, Vincent Campbell said this-
>
> >Remember the US Russia ice hockey matches of the Cold War and how the US
> >public felt about those games? Many many matches in football (Man
> >U/Liverpool, Rangers/Celtic, Milan/Inter, BArcelona/Real Madrid,
> >England/Germany, England/Scotland, England/Argentina,
> Germany/Holland etc.
> >etc. etc.) generate that kind of local, regional and national feeling as
> >those games did for the US.
>
> Tribal and xenophobic behaviors are just that, regardless of how masked.
> Today's soccer players are tomorrow's universal soldiers.
>
> - Wade
>
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