People of my country, including me, are football’s fan. When our team plays, I mean the Colombian Selection, the country just stops because almost everyone is watching the game. A game, let’s say, against Argentina is an event which compromises our jobs, classes… and if you can not skip a meeting or a class, usually the radio takes places and, as I experienced while I was teaching, students and workers have their earphones connected and listen at the same time they are “taking notes”.
From my perspective, this huge fanaticism has increased last twenty years since a traditional broadcastings developed a particular way of transmit Colombia’s games. When our team plays, the anchors and reporters increase the national symbols, and the semiotics of language changes completely. When they start to talk about the Colombian team they use on purpose the possessive our for identifying themselves and the audience with the team. For instance, several times they omit saying the “Colombian team”, but rather they say “Colombia” and when you hear the name of your country besides the name of a team, something different is perceived.
Probably a decade ago, the fashion of using the Colombian’s team t-shirt the day of important games started. TV promoted, in a subtle way, that if you use the colors of your country, you help the players “to fell that they count on you”. Of course, the majority of TVs anchors, some in the news some others in talk-shows, wear their yellow shirts with the Colombian Football Federation symbol. They also spread this idea since it’s very common to adapt yourself to social norms proposed on TV.
Before the game, the TV news is almost completely absorb by the football information so, from the two hours that usually the news takes, only thirty or forty five minutes are dedicated to the news of the country, and the other part is dedicated to players interviews, reports, images of the last game… and a frequents visits to the stadium, interviewing the public and make seem happy. In that way, the audience is all the time expecting the game starting, and we can not change the channel, of course.
When the game is on, the publicity becomes crazy: a lots of ads appears during the whole game, even the narrators announce products and in the half is almost a fifteen minutes of commercials. If Colombia’s team scores is like a tsunami of nationalism: “This is my dearest homeland!”, the narrator says, “This is my country, this is the people who give us hope!” (and you should imagine the voice of the narrator almost crying of “happiness”). And then a popular Colombian music resonates to increase the sense we are building a new country because of one goal.
Actually, I think when the TV takes advantage of football for creating a sense of hope, is because t is used as part of creation of the subject-in-ideology, as Fiske explains Althusser’s concept (1270). The reproduction of the ideology is that “this is a great country and we can get better, but we need the team wins because it represents the state”. Even, the current president has visited several times the Colombian’s team trainings and give “his support”, and he calls the football team as part of the state. But most of these players play in Italy, France, Spain, Argentina… they grew up as players in those countries, they had to travel and got other economical support and better teams since Colombia football or economical possibilities were not good for them as players.
When all advertisements and all this symphony of nationalism take place, it is really hard to see what is really happening with the country. The purpose of the TV transmission is not other than to sedate the sensation of inequality or indifference that Colombians feels constantly, and create and stimulate a system of values based on believing in football, and in that way in the state, since is really hard to create confidence with politics or social justice.
Football, used in that form, seems like a strong make-up for covering for some hours what is really happening and construct this “national we”, as Fiske reminds (1272) for not reading what is really happening. In that order of ideas, this is a sad example. In November 6th, 1985, the M-19 guerrilla took over the Palace of Justice and the most violent military answer occurred causing hundreds of dead and disappears. The radio and TV broadcastings that were transmitted that event, suddenly stop because the Communications Cabinet Minister from that time commanded to intervene the media and. All the the broadcastings, then, started to transmit a football game that was taking place at the same time in other place of the country.
I do not want to finish with this sad episode. Actually, last week Colombian government recognized that the state had a big responsibility on this tragedy and apologized with the victims. This has being a huge step. And also, Colombian team is already qualified for the FIFA World Cup Brazil 2014, so it is great motive for celebrate. That is my team! Thanks for giving me hope!
Hola, Camilo: Very interesting example of how football or soccer, which is a crucial part of the culture of “our” countries, is used to diffuse an ideology. In this case, that there is a sense of union, that there is solid nation and everything is possible. I think that is why many politicians (including the President, of course) use to go to the plays and if the national teem wins, then they are congratulated in a ceremony or something like that.
In Perú, since “our” national teem have rarely victories, other sports such volleyball replace it. But, the effect is the same: make everyone think that a victory in a sport is a victory of the country; that the nation “has one heart”, as it is said many times in Perú.
So, this is a very good example of how ideology “negotiates” with culture, make it a some kind of media to disseminate his message.
Here a video of the actual President congratulating the National Soccer team for one of their rarely victories: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihYPuvrrUEM
Hola Camilo,
Your blog reminded me the crazy cricket fans that India has. There are many changes that one could notice in the last 15 years. Earlier it used to be just twice a year but now probably every month you can watch a cricket match. India verses some country and the same reaction of people. Not doing any thing and just watching cricket and definitely the sense of pride when finally India wins. Now we also have leagues and teams hired by industrialists. Just like Real Madrid and Barcelona etc. Another interesting fact about cricket in India is the match between India and Pakistan. it is a freezing moment in India as if some war is happening between the countries that one should not miss. As if the two rivals are fighting battles in the guise of cricket!!!!!
Well HELLOOOOOO FOOTBALL POST!
I’m definitely gonna comment on this one, thanks for writing about my favourite subject Camillo! You’d be hard-pressed to find a bigger football fan than me; what can I say, my family in England, Spain and Portugal has ingrained this in me and I absolutely would not have it other way. It is not that I am blinded by the rhetoric that governments propel forward, or that I blindly go with the masses – this is the criticism that people always give people, and that I think is largely unwarranted. It’s undeniable that football has been historically used for political means, and I think this is something that will absolutely never change – independence movements, separatist movements, relations during WWII, even the “War of Football” between Paraguay and Uruguay and all of the examples that you mentioned in your posy – these all prove just how inextricably football is linked with politics because it is inextricably linked with SOCIETY, so of course it is prime material to pounce on (and other sports as Upasana pointed out, depending on what is most popular in a particular country I believe) for political figures. There are so many interesting studies about football and Spain that your post brought to mind (independence movements in regards to Barcelona’s different teams, Atletico Bilbao and the Basque nationality requirement) – and the most relevant for me is the way that the national team’s recent world-record wins (Euro Cup followed by World Cup followed by another Euro…atta boys!) were used to detract attention from the financial crisis. So, yes, I agree, football is completely appropriated, and this happens all the time. However, this does not mean that football fans are always easily manipulated masses – which also stands true for the players. Football is also a major business; ten minutes in Madrid and you get a sense that this city lives on football spiritually and a little economically as well! As a football player, I related to football a little differently as well – the sport teaches you many lessons about leadership, diversity, teamwork and how to relate to others. Travel to any football-loving country and all you need is a ball and a jacket to mark the post – start kicking the ball around and instantly you are relating to the people whose country you are visiting, and to the people themselves, on a different than you were before. It makes me sad to see football often exploited, and this is a very worthy discussion because I think there are SO many things about it that are completely misunderstood. Football fans never walk alone 😉
Hi Camilo,
I think the same can be said in the US about American Football but for us it’s not that everyone watches it all the time. They only get together on one big day, THE day, Superbowl. What started out as the best of the best has now turned into not only the best team but the best commercials, the time to pull out the big ones and gather round the TV with family and friends, eat pizza, wings, have some beers and enjoy some ads. A couple of years ago, when I was in France, I remember telling my students about this and they were in awe. They had never heard of the Superbowl and the commercials. The next day, I showed them some ads. They then understood. Back then, 30 seconds of airtime was worth 1-3 million dollars….now I am sure it is double that. Anyway, I think overall it’s pretty amazing to have a group of people come together to celebrate something they are passionate about, like football (soccer). It creates a sense of unity and pride and I admire that.