World cup blues

Unless you have been living under a rock for the last couple of weeks you will have noticed that the football world cup is on. Lets get this straight from the outset I am not a football fan in any way, shape or form so the whole importance that the world cup is given (over any other sporting event) is way beyond me.

Is Football more than a game?
For me a game is something that can be turned off at the end of the day and normal life can resume, nothing more than a source of entertainment. A great description of the core game given below from the guardian article [1].

"22 people running around in pursuit of a little round object, while a lot more people scream at them to do it better"

But as football in particular has grown to be so large it is virtually unavoidable in everyday life and therefore has outgrown the game status. Like many popular sports football is equally about what happens off the pitch. Is has grown into a source of employment for thousands of people, it contributes to the global economy and no need to mention the amount of media coverage it generates.

Many people can make there living from football, using it as a way to make money alternatively it can lose people lots of money too betting on the results. When you think about it the choice of whether you follow the 'game' can shape the relationships you form. Playing it with school mates could make life long friends or just get you in the wrong crowd.

As we get older especially I think its important to remind ourselves that for the average follower it is just a game, a source of entertainment and that our lives outside the game is the story we should really be involved with. Hope there was some sense in that post I guess I wrote it as the England vs Germany game seemed to give half the country an excuse to sit and watch then moan about it for the next week.

See:
[1] http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/may/02/debate-football-just-a-game