From: "Andy" <as-AT-spelthorne.ac.uk>
Subject: Re: Sports/anti-jockism
Date: Wed, 20 Oct 1999 09:30:03 +0100



From: bakunin-AT-hushmail.com <bakunin-AT-hushmail.com>
>>How does an anarchist society deal with football strife?? Do we still
>>get a
>>month off every fourth year to indulge tribal hatreds, bigotry and
violence?
>>
>>Andy
>>[mixed blood but definitely no Scottish stuff in my veins]
>
>
>I've been thinking about responing to this thread for a while... I'm on
>a roll here, so what the heck?  First off, I hate sports.  Or to clarify
>a bit, I hate *spectator* sports.

Yeah, but I suspect you're young. When you're in your mid-late 40s with
dodgy knees and arthritic shoulders that tend to dislocate due to excessive
violence on the footie and rugby field in one's 20s, all you can do is shout
and take the piss.

 >I have nothing against getting together
>with a few friends and engaging in some rule based play.  What I despise
>is assloads of beer-swilling jerkoffs living vicariously by yelling and
>gesticulating in what amounts to nothing more than a petty (and pathetic)
>form of nationalism.

Well, nationalism on our part certainly, but don't Americans only play
against themselves in their World Series stuff. I know they occasionally
break out into the real world for minor sports like golf, and occasionally
enter wars around the half-time mark with a fresh pair of legs claiming
credit for the victory - bloody glory-boys . Besides which it's our best
chance to howl off national anthems.


>Corporate sponsored distraction, swill Coors while
>they take your money to fund right wing assholes.

You're taking a very US perspective on this. Mostly, over here, the beer
tends to be banned in the stadium due to unseemly bouts of violence by the
lower orders. Any case, anything you purchase tends to go to right wing
ass-holes. The ass-holes who own British sport are no more right wing than
the ass-holes who don't.


>Don't like what the government's
>doing?  Don't think about that, go bleat for "Your Team" (tm).

Football in Britain has united a lot of supporters against corporate bodies.
Man Utd and the football community stopped Rupert Murdoch taking over the
club - OK it's still run as a business but not yet by him - this is an
example of organised informal resistance by net, fanzine and word of mouth
that is an excellent example of anti-corporate direct action on the so-far
but no further basis. The fanzines are profoundly anti-owner for most clubs.
Fans and supporters associations are also very active in lobbying.

>Not enough
>money in the budget to fund programs for the poor?  Don't worry, there's
>plenty of money to build another stadium so some stupid jock ....

Careful now. As well as being a clean cut all-Am asshole, a jock is also a
kilt-wearing, sporran-waving, dedicated paid up Scots person. Knowledge of
Scottish goalkeepers suggests they can't throw the ball anyway, and they'd
be far too pissed to date rape anyone.

>.......can throw a
>ball and date-rape cheerleaders.  Bah.
>Bomb the Fucking Stadiums

Fine bit of invective though.

Andy