The fans go on strike
October 22, 2011After yet another devastating Olympique de Marseille loss (to Arsenal in Champion’s League this time), the fans’ unions have announced they are going on strike and will refuse to cheer at upcoming home games. I am completely opposed.As you may know, I am embarking on a project of healthy sports watching this year. That is, I am trying to base my enjoyment of my team on its personality and development, not on mere results. It is, after all, just as intriguing to watch people you care about struggle through adversity as it is to watch them bask in glory and success. (I certainly picked a good year for this project; our arch rivals, Paris, were bought by Qataris and with a 100 million euros in new spending they are atop the league. The old me would likely be dangerously bitter right now.)
So, under this new philosophy, this fan strike seems both ridiculous and counter-productive to me. It’s like your children start having trouble at school and you decide to stop talking to them to teach them a lesson. Wouldn’t it be better to invest more love and energy? To sit down with them, encourage them, urge them to keep their head high during this dark period? And shouldn’t that be our approach with our sports teams? Instead of booing or wearing paper bags on heads or refusing to applaud, shouldn’t we cheer all the louder during the bad times, in hopes of propelling the team out of the muck?
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