"Why Men Like Football" page

This forum is dedicated to expressing how much football and soccer suck!
Post Reply
User avatar
ChrisOH
Member
Posts: 311
Joined: Fri Dec 10, 2010 3:43 pm
Gender: Male
Location: Cleveland, OH

"Why Men Like Football" page

Post by ChrisOH »

I found this site while searching for some other things -- the author is a Christian minister, of all things, who claims he used to dislike sports but has since converted to love of football. (An interesting spin on our own site's logo of "Evolution takes a turn for the worse"!) :wink: He reviews another a book by another author about men's love of football (or at least his own stereotypical view of how men should love football).

I found some of the comments in the article disturbing, like the ones about football helping men bond with their friends, and fathers with sons, because without football, most men would have nothing to talk about. (*ChrisOH feels like pulling out the little hair he has when he hears things like this.*) :evil:

The article itself is a few years old, but some of the comments are more recent. So, I hand it over to the list, in case anyone feels like being simultaneously entertained and infuriated! :|

http://www.theocentric.com/culture/issu ... tball.html
User avatar
recovering_fan
Member
Posts: 523
Joined: Thu Oct 07, 2010 8:08 am
Gender: M
Location: in my apartment :-)

Re: "Why Men Like Football" page

Post by recovering_fan »

The author wrote:Men not only escape the women in their lives, but they also are able to get away from the world of adult responsibilities: â??Watching football presents an opportunity to escape into a less responsible mode and to recapture the boyhood exuberance and enthusiasm of rooting for your home team with the other guysâ?
I agree with him on that at least. :roll:
User avatar
Solaris
Member
Posts: 16
Joined: Tue Mar 08, 2011 1:13 am
Gender: Male
Location: San Diego, California, USA, North America, Earth, Sol, Orion Arm, Milky Way Galaxy, The Universe

Re: "Why Men Like Football" page

Post by Solaris »

The Author wrote: Men watch dumb games to meet deep psychological needs and desires.
Really? I wonder how this helps people with their " psychological needs and desires."
The Author wrote: Dumb games satisfy many psychological and social needs.
Didn't the author already say this two paragraphs ago? But, you know, what are these " psychological and social needs?"
The Author wrote: Dumb games are a means of male bonding
If they help people bond together, then why do the imbeciles constantly torture people, just because they abhor the dumb games.
The Author wrote: Dumb games are a means of venting male aggresiveness
Well, I have to agree with that one, what with all the torture involved, the imbeciles are probably getting rid of a bit of anger.
The Author wrote: Men play dumb games as a means of venting their agressiveness, though in a sublimated, safe way
Didn't he already say that people vent their agressiveness in the last sentence? In a safe way? I don't think torturing others is safe.
The Author wrote: Dumb games meet mens' social needs
Like I asked before, what are these " social needs," are they neccessary to life? I think not, if you don't even describe them.
The Author wrote: Dumb games reinforce gender stereotypes
Apparently the author is completely fine with stereotypes, how degrading.
The Author wrote: Women are there for support and ***ual distraction
:shock:
The Author wrote: To be passive and sensitive, intellectual and introspective is sissy and girlish
So, just because people are sensitive, passive, introspective, and intellectual doesn't mean they're sissy and girlish.
The Author wrote: Dumb games appeal to mens' love of beauty
How are these dumb games beautiful? Art, astronomy, literature, science, mathematics, and much more is beautiful, but not dumb games that are trivial to humanity.
Earl
Member
Posts: 2498
Joined: Sat Feb 21, 2009 11:36 pm
Gender: Male
Location: somewhere in Texas, Oklahoma, or Louisiana

Re: "Why Men Like Football" page

Post by Earl »

Judging from his replies to several comments made in response to his post, the minister seems to have a double standard. He gets upset over any dismissive comments directed against football fans, but seems to have no problem with the intolerance that is frequently shown to guys (especially nonathletic boys) who have no interest in the sport.

I'll have more to say later about the minister's post -- except to say that aside from the use of certain sports as analogies (and nothing more), the teachings of the New Testament have absolutely nothing to do with sports. (I speak as someone who believes in the literal inspiration of the scriptures.) Incidentally, scripture does teach moral principals that definitely condemn bullying; so, why didn't the minister have anything to say about that?

Solaris, regarding the negative stereotyping of intellectual men, are you aware that in the past history of Communist regimes, many of the dissidents have been intellectuals (which is not to deny the fact that individual athletes in the unfortunate countries in question also opposed Communism or defected). A prominent example is the late Dr. Andrei Sakharov, "the father of the Soviet H-bomb" who became disillusioned with Communism and publicly condemned the government of his country for its horrendous human rights violations. And as far as courage is concerned, check out the en.wikipedia.org article on Raoul Wallenberg, who was one of the greatest heroes of World War II and holds the top Guinness record of an individual personally saving the lives of people (more than 10,000). Walllenberg was a highly educated man who detested competitive team sports, but he also was an extremely courageous man who dealt with German Nazis and Hungarian fascists who resorted to assassination attempts to thwart his rescue efforts. Now, there's a hero for us all. Not exactly a wimp, I'd say.
"Some cause happiness wherever they go; others, whenever they go." -- Oscar Wilde

Go, Montana State Bobcats!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRq4_uxM ... re=related
User avatar
i_like_1981
Member
Posts: 1381
Joined: Thu Jan 14, 2010 10:11 pm
Gender: Male
Contact:

Re: "Why Men Like Football" page

Post by i_like_1981 »

If this guy is trying to defend sports, why does he keep calling them "dumb games"? I don't get it (although I have only been reading what you quoted, ChrisOH). This quote also succeeded in infuriating me:
To be passive and sensitive, intellectual and introspective is sissy and girlish...
Oh right, so being smart and reasonable is "sissy and girlish", is it? I can only attribute this to living in a world which hails those who are good at moving balls around as "heroes" and turns a blind eye to many of their wrongdoings (which can go right up to violent assault on innocent people) so that the image of these wonderful "sports stars" is preserved and the "fun games" can continue as always. Absolutely pathetic. You know, I do seriously believe a noticeable intellectual decline in this world is forthcoming, seeing as how attitudes like the one I quoted above have become so widespread in the world.

Best regards,
i_like_1981
Image

Bernie Rhodes knows don't argue.
Earl
Member
Posts: 2498
Joined: Sat Feb 21, 2009 11:36 pm
Gender: Male
Location: somewhere in Texas, Oklahoma, or Louisiana

Re: "Why Men Like Football" page

Post by Earl »

i_like_1981 wrote:This quote also succeeded in infuriating me:
To be passive and sensitive, intellectual and introspective is sissy and girlish...
Oh right, so being smart and reasonable is "sissy and girlish", is it?
If you haven't read it already (which you probably have), please read the last paragraph of my post above (which is addressed to Solaris), i_like_1981. Of course, you probably know this already. And I no doubt have bored the other longtime members silly with my constant references to Wallenburg. But young members such as Solaris should be told about truly courageous men who give the lie to machismo.
"Some cause happiness wherever they go; others, whenever they go." -- Oscar Wilde

Go, Montana State Bobcats!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRq4_uxM ... re=related
User avatar
Solaris
Member
Posts: 16
Joined: Tue Mar 08, 2011 1:13 am
Gender: Male
Location: San Diego, California, USA, North America, Earth, Sol, Orion Arm, Milky Way Galaxy, The Universe

Re: "Why Men Like Football" page

Post by Solaris »

I'm very sorry for the misunderstanding here. I believe it is my fault, for not making my posts clear enough to determine which side I was on.
Solaris wrote:So, just because people are sensitive, passive, introspective, and intellectual doesn't mean they're sissy and girlish.
When I said " So, just because people are sensitive, passive, introspective, and intellectual doesn't mean they're sissy or girlish." I believe I did not make it clear enough to tell whether I was claiming one side of the argument or the other, for after seeing the trouble I caused, I reread my post and saw that it seemed I could be on either side of the argument and that what I was trying to claim maybe would have been better if i had said it like this:

"Oh, so because I'm sensitive and intellectual, im a sissy and girlish!!! I wonder if the author of this article even has some sort of proof about this, not some random material he got off some dumb jock website!!!"

So... you can see that I believe that those traits are good and don't have to do with feminism, because both genders can have these good traits. I am sensitive, and I guess I would consider myself intellectual, and I don't believe that it makes me feminine, and neither should others be stereotyped as feminine, because of these good traits.
Earl wrote:Judging from his replies to several comments made in response to his post, the minister seems to have a double standard. He gets upset over any dismissive comments directed against football fans, but seems to have no problem with the intolerance that is frequently shown to guys (especially nonathletic boys) who have no interest in the sport.

I'll have more to say later about the minister's post -- except to say that aside from the use of certain sports as analogies (and nothing more), the teachings of the New Testament have absolutely nothing to do with sports. (I speak as someone who believes in the literal inspiration of the scriptures.) Incidentally, scripture does teach moral principals that definitely condemn bullying; so, why didn't the minister have anything to say about that?

Solaris, regarding the negative stereotyping of intellectual men, are you aware that in the past history of Communist regimes, many of the dissidents have been intellectuals (which is not to deny the fact that individual athletes in the unfortunate countries in question also opposed Communism or defected). A prominent example is the late Dr. Andrei Sakharov, "the father of the Soviet H-bomb" who became disillusioned with Communism and publicly condemned the government of his country for its horrendous human rights violations. And as far as courage is concerned, check out the en.wikipedia.org article on Raoul Wallenberg, who was one of the greatest heroes of World War II and holds the top Guinness record of an individual personally saving the lives of people (more than 10,000). Walllenberg was a highly educated man who detested competitive team sports, but he also was an extremely courageous man who dealt with German Nazis and Hungarian fascists who resorted to assassination attempts to thwart his rescue efforts. Now, there's a hero for us all. Not exactly a wimp, I'd say.
Very sorry for the misunderstanding, Earl. I was so fed up with the imbecile's praise of the dumb games that I forgot to address the intolerance to nonathletic people.
i_like_1981 wrote:If this guy is trying to defend sports, why does he keep calling them "dumb games"? I don't get it (although I have only been reading what you quoted, ChrisOH). This quote also succeeded in infuriating me:
To be passive and sensitive, intellectual and introspective is sissy and girlish...
Oh right, so being smart and reasonable is "sissy and girlish", is it? I can only attribute this to living in a world which hails those who are good at moving balls around as "heroes" and turns a blind eye to many of their wrongdoings (which can go right up to violent assault on innocent people) so that the image of these wonderful "sports stars" is preserved and the "fun games" can continue as always. Absolutely pathetic. You know, I do seriously believe a noticeable intellectual decline in this world is forthcoming, seeing as how attitudes like the one I quoted above have become so widespread in the world.

Best regards,
i_like_1981
Don't worry I_like_1981, I'm not defending the dumb games, and once again, I was not clear enough when remarking the author's comment on traits and feminism. I meant that I believe that those good traits don't make a male feminine, for both genders can have these good traits. I do not care for these "heroes" or the dumb games... so... don't worry, I'm on the anti-jock side with you guys!

I hope we don't have another problem like this again, I hope you accept my apology for my unclear writing, for I often rush everything, it's sort of a bad habit for me...

See you all again sometime soon!
Earl
Member
Posts: 2498
Joined: Sat Feb 21, 2009 11:36 pm
Gender: Male
Location: somewhere in Texas, Oklahoma, or Louisiana

Re: "Why Men Like Football" page

Post by Earl »

Don't worry, Solaris. :) I'm sure that none of us misunderstood you. Both i_like_1981 and I knew which side you were on. Neither of us ever suspected that you defended machismo. There's absolutely no need for you to apologize. You have nothing to apologize for. Rest assured, there is no problem of misunderstanding here.

I'm truly amazed that some people fail to recognize that many of the greatest acts of courage have been driven by compassion, which some have wrongly deemed a "feminine" trait. Compassion (as well as brutality) is a human trait and is neither a masculine nor a feminine trait. (There were, after all, women officers in the secret police forces that maintained totalitarian rule in Communist countries during the Cold War.)

Notice that the minister almost comes unglued whenever he reads of any comments dismissive of the culture that is associated with football. Even though the sport is extremely popular, he almost seems to feel threatened by anyone who doesn't share his passion for the sport. He reacts as if he's protecting a beleaguered minority subjected to constant persecution. I wonder why ...

(Hey, minister, do you have any compassion for nonathletic boys who experience bullying simply for having no interest in sports? I guess not.)
"Some cause happiness wherever they go; others, whenever they go." -- Oscar Wilde

Go, Montana State Bobcats!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRq4_uxM ... re=related
User avatar
Solaris
Member
Posts: 16
Joined: Tue Mar 08, 2011 1:13 am
Gender: Male
Location: San Diego, California, USA, North America, Earth, Sol, Orion Arm, Milky Way Galaxy, The Universe

Re: "Why Men Like Football" page

Post by Solaris »

Earl wrote: he almost seems to feel threatened by anyone who doesn't share his passion for the sport. He reacts as if he's protecting a beleaguered minority subjected to constant persecution. I wonder why ...
Maybe he's worried that the non-athletic people will bring the truth to the jocks, or something like that?

So he's trying to prevent that from happening by spreading propaganda to the jocks, to prevent them from converting to the anti-jock side...
User avatar
i_like_1981
Member
Posts: 1381
Joined: Thu Jan 14, 2010 10:11 pm
Gender: Male
Contact:

Re: "Why Men Like Football" page

Post by i_like_1981 »

What exactly is all this about? I don't believe that I ever said I was infuriated with you, Solaris. On the contrary, I was directing my agitation at a particular comment that you had quoted in one of your earlier posts in this thread:
The Author wrote:To be passive and sensitive, intellectual and introspective is sissy and girlish...
I originally interpreted that as having been written by the author of the article in question on this thread; the minister who defended sports. I never mentioned you in my post, and I certainly would never have accused you of defending machismo. It seems like we've got a bit mixed up here. Maybe I should have stayed away... *slowly exits through a side door*

Best regards,
i_like_1981
Image

Bernie Rhodes knows don't argue.
Earl
Member
Posts: 2498
Joined: Sat Feb 21, 2009 11:36 pm
Gender: Male
Location: somewhere in Texas, Oklahoma, or Louisiana

Re: "Why Men Like Football" page

Post by Earl »

No, come back here, i_like_1981! :lol: ... It was just a misunderstanding. :)
"Some cause happiness wherever they go; others, whenever they go." -- Oscar Wilde

Go, Montana State Bobcats!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRq4_uxM ... re=related
User avatar
i_like_1981
Member
Posts: 1381
Joined: Thu Jan 14, 2010 10:11 pm
Gender: Male
Contact:

Re: "Why Men Like Football" page

Post by i_like_1981 »

Earl wrote:No, come back here, i_like_1981! :lol: ... It was just a misunderstanding. :)
Don't worry, Earl. I'm not going anywhere anytime soon. Yes, me and Solaris got a bit mixed up there, but it's nothing. We're very much on the same page on this issue. With the sports fans in such a massive majority, us anti-sports people need to stick together - like I say, this is the only forum we've got for that purpose!

Best regards,
i_like_1981
Image

Bernie Rhodes knows don't argue.
Post Reply