tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1969424548171959750.post7948676967618594506..comments2024-03-15T17:41:26.645+00:00Comments on Sport Is A TV Show: Ingerletc. reduxFredorrarcihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03660428641031747616noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1969424548171959750.post-11777587472060229172010-02-19T14:13:52.279+00:002010-02-19T14:13:52.279+00:00Appreciate the comments and the book recommendatio...Appreciate the comments and the book recommendation, gentlemen - thank you.Fredorrarcihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03660428641031747616noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1969424548171959750.post-1434652204912378922010-02-18T09:14:28.694+00:002010-02-18T09:14:28.694+00:00If you wanted to bend over backwards to be fair to...If you wanted to bend over backwards to be fair to Setanta, I guess you could argue that this is ludicrous football bombast that happens to be patriotically themed, rather than hyper-patriotism that is being channeled through football.<br /><br />I can't remember where I saw the gag recently that 'football isn't a matter of life and death, it's much more self-important than that', but, you know.<br /><br />If Setanta had exclusive rights to broadcast, say, Manchester United league games, I'm sure they'd manage to come up with a title sequence that was just as overblown and just as lacking in taste, proportion and self-awareness. It's just the gigantic spectral lions would be replaced by the gigantic spectral forms of Matt Busby, George Best and Peter Schmeichel.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1969424548171959750.post-41107847173061136902010-02-18T08:52:49.929+00:002010-02-18T08:52:49.929+00:00I'll second Ted's call of Imagined Communi...I'll second Ted's call of Imagined Communities. <br /><br />This is a debate that's been raging pretty fiercely in cricket circles for some time - the issue being the influx of South Africans with enough English background to eventually qualify for the national team. Lots of people have trotted out banalities about whether they're 'as English as us' because they grew up on the Highveld, but it's just a reflection of a society which is much less sedentary than it used to be. And is it really a particuarly great measure of how 'X'ish we all are that we read the same newspapers and believe people roughly feel the same as us?<br /><br />The Setanta ad was probably the lovechild of a desire to nurture exactly the kind of idiot fans (and children who don't know any better) you describe above and a cocksure confidence that nobody ever switched off a football match because the opening sequence was tawdry.Markhttp://www.sportwithoutspin.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1969424548171959750.post-18125278911298255302010-02-18T06:43:15.285+00:002010-02-18T06:43:15.285+00:00I think a big part of it is that - as you say - En...I think a big part of it is that - as you say - English people don't express their nationalism very often. Some are too self-conscious and afraid of looking silly, while others are a ashamed of some of the things our country has done in the past. I'd put myself in both camps.<br /><br />As a result, the England football (and maybe rugby and cricket) team is a rare chance to unite and show some patriotism, so when it can be a little over the top. Either because we're venting our built up nationalism, or maybe because we don't get enough practice at being patriotic so we're just not very good at it.<br /><br />As for the question of whether the Setanta ad was a) reacting to, or b)or feeding this hyper-patriotism... it's probably both.Darylhttp://www.worldcupblog.orgnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1969424548171959750.post-51988555056464147602010-02-18T01:57:16.614+00:002010-02-18T01:57:16.614+00:00I might recommend Benedict Anderson's "Im...I might recommend Benedict Anderson's "Imagined Communities" as a place to start, but that might be killing a mosquito with the Death Star. A large, post-Marxian Death Star, published by Verso.Ted Harwoodhttp://runningdownhill.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.com