You can wonder if this would have been much different had Brazil played with his regular players.
Yeah, that's quite the problem. As I said, it opium and that has never been a good thing. It's distracting distract from the actual important things. Especially in countries where so much things need to be improved so much, that distraction is dangerous.To think a game about kicking a ball around can become so vital to so many people.
In case of Brazil, I think it is not. The world cup cost the tax payer billions of dollars. Mostly for infrastructure (like stadiums) that will hardly be used in the future.I'm hoping the combined impact is a positive one, though I'm far from convinced of that.
That's exactly the thing. If you follow a team for years, the players don't seem to be strangers anymore. You read of them, see them in TV and stuff. So you get the illusion of being close to them (despite the fact that they don't know you). So then, if they aren't strangers anymore, it's a thing of empathy. When they're win, they are happy, so you are happy. When they lose, they are sad, so you are sad. That gets reinforced when you have fellow supportes going to or watching games with you. If your team wins, your buddies get happy, so you get. Then somewhen perhaps empathy isn't even necessary anymore because your brain makes a connection between your team winning and being happy.I actually really like the game itself and I've enjoyed playing it in the past, but I've never understood the fascination with watching strangers play it.
That's exactly the thing. If you follow a team for years, the players don't seem to be strangers anymore. You read of them, see them in TV and stuff. So you get the illusion of being close to them (despite the fact that they don't know you). So then, if they aren't strangers anymore, it's a thing of empathy. When they're win, they are happy, so you are happy. When they lose, they are sad, so you are sad. That gets reinforced when you have fellow supportes going to or watching games with you. If your team wins, your buddies get happy, so you get. Then somewhen perhaps empathy isn't even necessary anymore because your brain makes a connection between your team winning and being happy.
In Germany especially since the home world cup in 2006 you have another thing going on. People just follow the games in masses, watching it together (which is called "public viewing" here) with the purpose of having a party during and afterwards. Someone called it "partyotism". It's about supporting your country and partying. It's about being in a community that has a common goal, winning together, losing together, giving the guys a feeling of strength. Imho it's not about the sports, not about football. If it were for the sports, they could watch it in their living rooms without guys in front of them covering the screen, without getting poured beer all over, without having difficulties to hear and understand the commentator.
Btw. I've watched all the games at home, some with 2-3 additional guys, always getting angry looks from my wife when cheering too loud and fearing I'd wake our son.
Balance. If you feel a bit bad when they lose that's okay. But crying…
The same for people that cry when their dog die and give him a funeral. Some go too far
Sorry, but my dog is a better person than most people. I'll bawl like a little girl the day Annabelle passes and I'll give her a proper send off by spreading her ashes in her favorite park.