I don't understand the thrill of the game

[venta]

Today I've had Xfm on, streaming from my computer. It's sufficiently cool today that we don't need the aircon on, so I can hear music properly. Most of the DJs have talked about the football, everyone who's called in has been asked about/mentioned it. Some of the adverts are football orientated. There's even been adverts for a club which is "the only place to be after the match".

Over on elle_'s journal, it's clear that companies all over the place are using the match as an excuse for a jolly. Someone else mentioned that their company is shutting up shop early this afternoon.

Now, I'm not a football fan, not even at times like this. I come from a family of sport-despisers. When a passing French bloke tried to take the piss on Sunday night, it was completely lost on me because, though I knew there was a match on, I hadn't known it was against France, and at that point I didn't know England had lost.

I know there are plenty of people out there who're not bothered about footy. So, without wanting lots of frothing comments along the lines of how the match tonight is getting in the way/sodding up your plans/annoying you: what percentage of the population cares ?

The prevalence of the little car-flags, the quietness of the streets when there's a game, everything else suggests "near 100". But a surprisingly high percentage of my friends are rabidly anti-. Is this just me knowing an unrepresentative sample ? Is it that the football apathists are just much quieter about their apathy than the supporters are about their support ? That people are worried they'll be deemed sad, uncool, unpatriotic or pummelled if they admit they don't give a stuff ?

I'm genuinely curious.

Comments

[onebyone.livejournal.com]

have something between their ears and therefore have no interest in watching overpaid idiots prancing around a field kicking a pig's bladder round

"People who don't share my tastes must be stupid. There's no other explanation for it". Okaaay.

Sometimes even so far as to get up at ungodly times of the night to watch [sport]

Because the players in the sports you watch aren't overpaid, aren't idiots, because their movements cannot flippantly be described as "prancing", or because no piece of equipment in their sport has ever been made from animal products?

I'm just not following your logic on the whole "watching football is stupid" train of thought.

And these buffoons are paid how much

You've mentioned that twice. Is envy all this is about?