Why do you love football?

SlickRic

so....why?

or do you even love it? is it just a compulsion? is it just habit? is it just escapism?

i've had my moments when i wonder, but then I see Barcelona's piece of interplay last week in the Champions League, or I remember Liverpool's comeback in 2005's Champions League Final, or I remember Zidane's performance at 35 against Brazil in '06, and i remember the reasons why I watch.

I watch so that I might see moments of inspiration, or genius, and to a lesser extent, the moments of intense drama. all the whining, moaning, b*tching, criticising, stressing is ultimately worth it for that moment where you just sit in awe, or you explode with emotion.

or you might see a game like a Liverpool 4-3 Newcastle, or a Barcelona 3-3 Real Madrid.

so, why do you love football?

Ush1

SlickRic wrote: »

or you might see a game like a Liverpool 4-3 Newcastle, or a Barcelona 3-3 Real Madrid.

Bit of a difference there!:P

Xavi6

Jaysus Ric, you're getting all teary eyed on us!

But seriously, I love football because it is the common factor in pretty much everything I love about life.

I can spend time on my own watching it, I can share it with the people close to me as well as those not so close, I can write about it, it's a starting point for discussions with randomers, it keeps me fit....basically it's just everywhere.

The passion is unrivalled imo and the memories last forever.

I guess if you look at everything that comes and goes in life, for me, football has always been a constant.

Frisbee

I was bombarded with it from a young age. I started playing when I was 6 and used to watch MotD with my dad every Saturday night without fail (and usually fall asleep before the end).

Amazing I didn't end up a United or Leeds fan tbh as my dad used to buy me Leeds jerseys and my uncles were United mad and used to buy me Utd jerseys for birthdays/Christmas.

Smegball

In work so can't link.. but for moments like Macheda v Villa, Owen v City, Solskjaer v Bayern etc.

Last minute goals and the drama it brings, or the absolute abuse the tv gets if your team is losing and the consequent hope of the equaliser only for the remote to be smashed against the wall :pac:

SlickRic

Xavi6 wrote: »

Jaysus Ric, you're getting all teary eyed on us!

Xavi6 wrote: »

I can spend time on my own watching it, I can share it with the people close to me as well as those not so close, I can write about it, it's a starting point for discussions with randomers, it keeps me fit....basically it's just everywhere.

this is a huge one actually. if i think back to how most of my male friendships started, it's pretty much always centred around football. even now, it's an easy excuse to hang out with a bunch of lads and shoot the breeze.

plus everyone's always got an opinion; rarely a dull moment. and it's so easy to troll for your own amusement.

Frisbee wrote: »

Amazing I didn't end up a United or Leeds fan tbh as my dad used to buy me Leeds jerseys and my uncles were United mad and used to buy me Utd jerseys for birthdays/Christmas.

well done.

you must feel like Steve McQueen.

Neil3030

When my team wins it makes me happy.

GavRedKing

Football basically has everything, heroes, villians, it means everything to me personally.

I play it, I watch it, I go to live games, I debate it with friends, I argue with the same friends when our own teams are playing.

It uniteds and divides houses, families and friends up and down the country and across the globe when rival teams play.

It brings together countries for International games also, its brillant, I love football for so many reasons.

8-10

SlickRic wrote: »

Liverpool 4-3 Newcastle

I was at the 1996, Collymore version, of that game. Best I've ever been to, end-to-end from start to finish.

But really soccer is just another sport for me. Baseball is probably my most watched sport but I'll really watch anything. I just love competitive sport! Seriously love it.

Soccer is definitely up there.

amacachi

I don't love football, I love sport and there are others I prefer but football is the most followed and easiest to follow and to discuss.

Mister men

To be honest i love it less with every passing day. Heart and soul is gone out of it and been replaced with something less than worthy of the name "the beautiful game".

JerryHandbag

I love it because of watching players as a kid like Ruud Gullit, Marco van Basten, Franco Baresi, Paul MacGrath. That AC Milan team of 1989 that won the European Cup was a joy to behold, had a bit of a soft spot for them If not for them I might've gone on and followed a lesser field sport!

Tallaght Saint

Actually being at a game and scoring in the last minute. Oddly a last minute equaliser is almost better than a last minute winner.

I'll never forget Dave Mulcahy's 92nd minute equaliser against Bohs to go top of the table ahead of them

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBc24UAmnUs

Paleface

amacachi wrote: »

I don't love football, I love sport.

This is it for me.

I'm not as sporty myself as I used to be so I'm predominantly a spectator these days.

Sport is true drama played out in front of your eyes. Its unscripted and generally brilliant to watch.

stovelid

The shared tradition/interest with other supporters and the feeling of community and grounding that your club gives you. And obviously the game itself: whether or not the football is "good" or you're watching a real game or kids in the park.

I agree that it's getting harder and harder to stomach the shite that exist around the game though: not so much the technology or the TV thing but just the cheating, the money and the politics that surround the highest level of the game.

flahavaj

I used to love soccer but now its increasingly becoming more of a habit for me. It keeps me from getting bored in the Winter when there's no inter county GAA on, but increasingly I see more about the game that I dislike than I like. Theres the great odd moment that sets the pulse racing, but the magic is barely there any more for me.

Mars Bar

I dunno why, I have just always loved the game. I got my aunty to colour a picture in for a competition to win a World Cup 1994 football! I would have been 4, going on 5 at the time. It's okay though, cheating wasn't something that became a recurring theme in my life thankfully! :pac:

As I have grown older and have understood the game better, I have come to appreciate the on-pitch intelligence you need to have.

Then there's the adrenaline associated with it, whether that be watching it or playing it.

As others said, the social aspect of it is a bonus. I have made many, many friends through the game.

We're starting a Ladies Soccer Team next week in LIT, can't wait to meet more people through that.

3hn2givr7mx1sc

The rivalry, passion and craic.
You could tear the head off your mate when United are playing Liverpool(or whatever) and then ye're best friends the next day, its one of the only things in the world that could make ya do that.

I'm slowly but surely falling out of love with the top leagues in Europe and beginning to gain interest in the LoI and the lower leagues in England, they just seem a lot more honest.

justshane

Not trying to be controversial but i doubt many people here are proper fans and therefore experience the real buzz of going to games on 3 hour bus trips and losing 2-0 then doing the the next week beating the champions at home 1-0. That's the real buzz. The adrenaline you feel at these tight games after going to all the crappy ones and living threw the bad times just to get your small moment of glory. most League of Ireland fans will know what Im talking about and the odd Manchester United, Liverpool, ete fans who actually is a supporter not a customer.

Mars Bar

justshane wrote: »

Not trying to be controversial but i doubt many people here are proper fans and therefore experience the real buzz of going to games on 3 hour bus trips and losing 2-0 then doing the the next week beating the champions at home 1-0. That's the real buzz. The adrenaline you feel at these tight games after going to all the crappy ones and living threw the bad times just to get your small moment of glory. most League of Ireland fans will know what Im talking about and the odd Manchester United, Liverpool, ete fans who actually is a supporter not a customer.

Not to start this conversation again but I can go back the road to my local team, not a LOI team, and do that too. I'm sure a lot of people here do that or play with their local team.

orourkeda

Tallaght Saint wrote: »

Actually being at a game and scoring in the last minute. Oddly a last minute equaliser is almost better than a last minute winner.

I'll never forget Dave Mulcahy's 92nd minute equaliser against Bohs to go top of the table ahead of them

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBc24UAmnUs

I love football because Bohs are now back ahead of Pats. Normal service has been resumed.

orourkeda

justshane wrote: »

Not trying to be controversial but i doubt many people here are proper fans and therefore experience the real buzz of going to games on 3 hour bus trips and losing 2-0 then doing the the next week beating the champions at home 1-0. That's the real buzz. The adrenaline you feel at these tight games after going to all the crappy ones and living threw the bad times just to get your small moment of glory. most League of Ireland fans will know what Im talking about and the odd Manchester United, Liverpool, ete fans who actually is a supporter not a customer.

I have my season ticket (Not to Manchester Utd, Liverpool, Arsenal or Chelsea)

3hn2givr7mx1sc

justshane wrote: »

Not trying to be controversial but i doubt many people here are proper fans and therefore experience the real buzz of going to games on 3 hour bus trips and losing 2-0 then doing the the next week beating the champions at home 1-0. That's the real buzz. The adrenaline you feel at these tight games after going to all the crappy ones and living threw the bad times just to get your small moment of glory. most League of Ireland fans will know what Im talking about and the odd Manchester United, Liverpool, ete fans who actually is a supporter not a customer.

Do you want a fúcking medal?

SlickRic

apologies for the mod note, but fúck sake, i'm nipping this in the bud now...i did not foresee this turning into a 'real fans' debate.

did i title this thread 'Knob Measuring Contest' by any chance?

no, i didn't think so.

back on topic, zero tolerance from here on in.

Mr.Nice Guy

As a kid I became enamoured with it. No one in my family were or are big fans but I saw United playing on TV and then I was hooked. My family helped feed the addiction by buying me tapes of United's season, the shirts, I even had a Fred the Red lunchbox. I spent my communion money on the full United kit. Mark Hughes became my favourite player and I had posters of him on my wall. My dad used to buy me magazines like Match! and Shoot. Then there was playing football in the field at lunch in primary. I used to play in defence and loved it. Still have fond memories of those days. I remember signing for Rivermount but being too lazy to attend on weekends. Damn cartoons. I regret that in hindsight. I remember the early nineties and the fanaticism for the Irish team. When Jack Charlton came to my school and how the place went bananas. The joy of Alan McLoughlin's equaliser and Ray Houghton's winner against Italy. My late great uncle who was mad into United and seemed to love the fact that I shared his enthusiasm. How he used to buy me gifts and talk to me about the players. There were generations between us but this brought us together.

It's funny but I think I was more of a fan as a kid than I am now. Back then it was like my life. The days before women, job concerns, money etc. All you had to worry about was would United beat Blackburn or would Fergie really sell Sparky?

These days I look at it in a different light. I used to wonder like others if the game had changed. I think it has, but so have I. Growing up I've learnt about the murkier aspects of the game. The corruption, ignorance and stupidity from those that run the sport. The corporate manner in which the game is increasingly perceived. The fact that these days you need to know about the performances of the boardrooom, and not just the players. The pissing contests that go on. The animosity that still pervades the game and causes friction. My dad never liked bringing me to games when he was younger as he felt it wasn't a friendly environment. It was always a challenge to get him to go. As an adult now I see what he meant, and would look at other sports as having a better atmosphere in all honesty. It's become more of a personal thing for me now. I'm comfortable with that.

HalloweenJack

I simply love the sport at it's purest, technical form. I find it a great sport to watch, be it Sunday league stuff in the park or World Cup finals. You also have the players who are great footballers and can be great characters.

Then, stuff like tactics come in. I have a great appreciation for some of the great tacticians of the game and those who can get the most out of small resources or limited players.

Then, there's the fans. The unrivaled devotion of hardcore supporters baffles me at times; I know I could never be that devoted but I admire it also. Being a fan of football is a great equaliser, come kick-off everyone in the stands is there for their team, nothing else.

It's a great way to meet new people who share your passion and that's something else I've enjoyed. I remember bringing an American friend of mine to a match before. He'd only ever been to baseball and hockey games in the States. After the game, he mentioned that the thing that stood out for him was the social aspect, how everyone was interacting with each other and sharing jokes and complaints and celebrations. He said it was nothing like he'd experienced in the MLB or the NHL. I thought that of the baseball but to hear that the atmosphere topped hockey games impressed me.

There are things about the game I don't like but I never let that get ahead of my fundamental enjoyment of the game. I'm hooked for life.

redzerdrog

football has lost a lot of the buzz for me lately. the main reason it so expensive to go to games, add that to clubs being run into the ground by greedy/stupid owners that couldnt give two ****s about fans. i am talking both home and abroad btw.

For 5-6 years i followed drogheda utd all over ireland and europe and loved every minute of it. But high ticket prices and the fact i was then unemployed ment i couldnt do that anymore. I then had my own football to worry about and friday nights in utd park just werent an option any more.

I have been a liverpool fan aswell all my life and used to go over a couple of times a year but again it is just not viable anymore add that to the fact the heart and soul is getting ripped out of the club makes me very sad. Any time I think there might be some good news it is completly overshadowed by 10 times that amount in bad news.

its very disheartening to see the heart ripped from both clubs you follow and still think of football as a beautifull game.

Bog

Because my Dad loves it.

As with Who is your favourite team? this will always be the answer. I never had a chance.

8-10

Everyone's going on about supporting it and watching it. Honestly I love playing soccer more than watching it.

I played soccer from u-11 to senior (started late enough I know) with countless summer camps and mini-world cups along the way. Also tried my hand at coaching (as well as rugby)

For me, playing a game of soccer, even 5-a-side, will always prove more enjoyable than all this supporting stuff.

Scoring a screamer from 30 yds into the top corner with my 'bad' foot, hitting the bar from halfway at tip-off, scoring the equaliser in a 2-2 cup game in the last minute to take us to extra time, practicing a free-kick routine in training that came off perfectly in the game, missing a header from 2 yds! scoring every penalty I ever took, making last ditch tackles, beating a guy for pace after he's had a headstart, scoring from an impossible angle with a delection off the jumper used as the post...

all exhilirating experiences! I'm sure we all have similar, even back to school-yard days.

Ordinary man

I love it for the moments of magic where you ask wtf and gasp at the replays(ronaldo's free kick against portsmouth, nani's trick against arsenal, giggs run against arsenal, cantona on many occasions)

I love it for the sheer determination that defies logic (roy keane vs juventus, paul mc grath's double block against italy, terry butcher in bandages)

I love it for the dreams - the big clubs after trophies and the smaller clubs after the scalps (burnley vs man u, hercules vs barcelona)

I love it for the addiction - the next win or the chance to get respect

I love it for the rivalry, the tension, the anger, the despair and the moments when nothing else matters in life

LIVE FOR THE MOMENTS:D

Diabhal Beag

I watch it but have no real emotional investment in it clubwise when it comes to England. I enjoy it from time to time but for the most part it can be piss poor (especially Champion's League matches).

I love the comebacks. The inspiring performances. The merciless 6-0 wins. The stunning goals.

I hate the cheating. The dull matches. The fans who think they're better than everybody because they fly over to watch United or Liverpool play.

It's a good sport but far from the best IMO.

wixfjord

I actually fell out of love with football a long time ago tbh, around the time I stopped playing, but I do love parts of all sports, and can categorically say I would watch tiddlywinks live. Nothing compares to live atmosphere.
The good parts of footie for me, like a good big game on a Sunday afternoon, or a big Champs League night in Anfield, or Irish game in Lansdowne, the skills, the great goals, the crunching tackles and the great saves, are far outweighed by the bad bits. Far too much money involved, and ridiclous egos without the skills or athleticism to back it up for the most part. I dont like looking up to guys who would most likely be in jail or on the dole we're they not so good with a ball at their feet.

BOHtox

Real football, real fans

Mushy

Prob cos its so unpredictable...like Leeds' match tonight:mad:

Tallaght Saint

orourkeda wrote: »

I love football because Bohs are now back ahead of Pats. Normal service has been resumed.

We'll be a whole league ahead of you next season when you're down in the graveyard.

Despite the state of Liverpool's finances and the way the club is going I'm as passionate as ever about the club no matter how bad we are.

Nothing beats 90 mins in the Kop

dfx-

For these celebrations

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qU3strMWeo

Gavin "shels"

I wouldn't say I love football, I moreso love Shels with football being part of that!

PHB

Because it's the only legitimate mob left

OPENROAD

Gavin shels wrote: »

I wouldn't say I love football, I moreso love Shels with football being part of that!

+

Beat me to it.


I like football but don't love it. I do however love Arsenal and everything about Arsenal

bamboozling

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1pw6ic1PTc
This video just sums up why I love the game.

It's about the mad passionate fans, then the focus on the players the most important people in the game, the dramatic moments, Liverpool vs Milan, France vs italy.

The drama the great games, the individual moments of greatness. That's what makes football special for me.

TangyZizzle

^ WHAT a video!

I love football because it teaches you to be positive in the face of adversity. To still have the energy and willingness to sing at the top of your lungs while going into injury time 3-1 down is a great feeling. It really is more than just a game

JerryHandbag

Mushy wrote: »

Prob cos its so unpredictable...like Leeds' match tonight:mad:

Jesus yeah that was a shocker alright! Mad scoreline

Gavin "shels"

Gavin shels wrote: »

I wouldn't say I love football, I moreso love Shels with football being part of that!

Bit against the point of the thread, but I also f*cking hate football - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E43aVzuDUpY&feature=related still remember that goal going in like it was yesterday!:mad:

Boskowski

I was a little fella living across the road from the local football club. I always wanted to play football and spent most of my childhood doing that. Schools over half an hour later on the footie ground until darkness. Brief spells of skateboarding and stuff but always back to football. Can't even explain why. Just love it. Probably the mixture of athleticism and brains. Splitsecond decisions paired with the right execution. Being a football fan is nice too but secondary really. Where I'm from football is number one and two and three. After that comes football.

mormank

Tallaght Saint wrote: »

Actually being at a game and scoring in the last minute. Oddly a last minute equaliser is almost better than a last minute winner.

I'll never forget Dave Mulcahy's 92nd minute equaliser against Bohs to go top of the table ahead of them

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBc24UAmnUs

so basically what you are saying here is that scoring a last minute equaliser is not as good as scoring a last minute winner???? thats not odd at all!!!

I guess for me alot of it has to do with being steeped in it. the social aspect too of course, its what all my mates do. sure when i was in oz i got into the ozzie rules after avoiding it for over a year as it was being talked about all the time around me...was easier to join them than fight them. im back home now and am even gonna watch the grand final replay on saturday, only the 3rd ever grand final replay in ozzie rules history!

mormank

Mr.Nice Guy wrote: »

As a kid I became enamoured with it. No one in my family were or are big fans but I saw United playing on TV and then I was hooked. My family helped feed the addiction by buying me tapes of United's season, the shirts, I even had a Fred the Red lunchbox. I spent my communion money on the full United kit. Mark Hughes became my favourite player and I had posters of him on my wall. My dad used to buy me magazines like Match! and Shoot. Then there was playing football in the field at lunch in primary. I used to play in defence and loved it. Still have fond memories of those days. I remember signing for Rivermount but being too lazy to attend on weekends. Damn cartoons. I regret that in hindsight. I remember the early nineties and the fanaticism for the Irish team. When Jack Charlton came to my school and how the place went bananas. The joy of Alan McLoughlin's equaliser and Ray Houghton's winner against Italy. My late great uncle who was mad into United and seemed to love the fact that I shared his enthusiasm. How he used to buy me gifts and talk to me about the players. There were generations between us but this brought us together.

It's funny but I think I was more of a fan as a kid than I am now. Back then it was like my life. The days before women, job concerns, money etc. All you had to worry about was would United beat Blackburn or would Fergie really sell Sparky?

These days I look at it in a different light. I used to wonder like others if the game had changed. I think it has, but so have I. Growing up I've learnt about the murkier aspects of the game. The corruption, ignorance and stupidity from those that run the sport. The corporate manner in which the game is increasingly perceived. The fact that these days you need to know about the performances of the boardrooom, and not just the players. The pissing contests that go on. The animosity that still pervades the game and causes friction. My dad never liked bringing me to games when he was younger as he felt it wasn't a friendly environment. It was always a challenge to get him to go. As an adult now I see what he meant, and would look at other sports as having a better atmosphere in all honesty. It's become more of a personal thing for me now. I'm comfortable with that.

There are places you can go and people you can speak to about this sort of abuse in the home!! No child should have UTD jerseys thrown at them or bought for them at this age! If the child wants it then the parents should be responsible enough to keep their child away from such things!!

ROCKMAN

For all the reasons mentioned above

plus

The Monday Morning boasting rights:D

Xavi6

8-10 wrote: »

Everyone's going on about supporting it and watching it. Honestly I love playing soccer more than watching it.

I played soccer from u-11 to senior (started late enough I know) with countless summer camps and mini-world cups along the way. Also tried my hand at coaching (as well as rugby)

For me, playing a game of soccer, even 5-a-side, will always prove more enjoyable than all this supporting stuff.

Scoring a screamer from 30 yds into the top corner with my 'bad' foot, hitting the bar from halfway at tip-off, scoring the equaliser in a 2-2 cup game in the last minute to take us to extra time, practicing a free-kick routine in training that came off perfectly in the game, missing a header from 2 yds! scoring every penalty I ever took, making last ditch tackles, beating a guy for pace after he's had a headstart, scoring from an impossible angle with a delection off the jumper used as the post...

all exhilirating experiences! I'm sure we all have similar, even back to school-yard days.

Spot on.

There's nothing better than being part of a team and going out there with 10 other lads with a common goal. I've played in games where you would do anything for the team and your teammates. Win, lose or draw you do it together. I played individual sports like tennis and that has it's own positives as it's a personal challenge but it comes nowhere near playing with your mates.

My season here just finished last week and due to a number of injuries (torn cruciate amongst others) I managed one poxy game (in which I scored an overhead ). Standing on the sidelines cheering on the lads will only suffice for a very short amount of time and being out there is what it's all about.

The 5 a side phenomenon that has come to the fore in the past decade or so has been fantastic as it has prolonged the 'careers' of lads who would have given up the game a long time ago when committing to an 11 a side team was their only real outlet for playing.

I'm actually dreading the day where I'll be too old to be part of a football team.

Gavin "shels"

ROCKMAN wrote: »

The Monday Morning boasting rights:D

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnKCWTBViDE

Leiva

8-10 wrote: »

Everyone's going on about supporting it and watching it. Honestly I love playing soccer more than watching it.

I played soccer from u-11 to senior (started late enough I know) with countless summer camps and mini-world cups along the way. Also tried my hand at coaching (as well as rugby)

For me, playing a game of soccer, even 5-a-side, will always prove more enjoyable than all this supporting stuff.

Scoring a screamer from 30 yds into the top corner with my 'bad' foot, hitting the bar from halfway at tip-off, scoring the equaliser in a 2-2 cup game in the last minute to take us to extra time, practicing a free-kick routine in training that came off perfectly in the game, missing a header from 2 yds! scoring every penalty I ever took, making last ditch tackles, beating a guy for pace after he's had a headstart, scoring from an impossible angle with a delection off the jumper used as the post...

all exhilirating experiences! I'm sure we all have similar, even back to school-yard days.

^^^^^THIS^^^^^