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.'.:::::::`. Petros Katiforis (Πέτρος Κατηφόρης)
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\ | / \ This post was published on the 2nd of September, 2023
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Sports have become an essential part of most people's everyday life. Passive consumption of athletic events, that is. All over the world and especially in countries were poverty has culminated, sports teams have become a substantial part of one's identity, almost equivalent to one's nationality. Just like the supporters of the Blues and the Greens during the Byzantine Era, people nowadays choose to escape their depressing and monotonous reality to accept violence, support barbaric social events and grant themselves some sort of cheap sense of belonging.
Whether that be football, baseball, basketball or soccer, citizens offer themselves captives to hours upon hours of people tossing a ball around a field. We'd all wish that it would just end there, but to our misfortune capitalism has naturally stepped in. Passive consumption of athletic performances mingled with lewd advertisements are being watched by overwhelmingly unathletic viewers who get all too emotional about their club's successes and failures. Reminds you of the Colosseum, doesn't it?
As a European (hem, do Greeks classify as Europeans?), I do have to admit that I was completely astonished when I first apprehended what the Superbowl actually was. How can people ever attend such event with the chief purpose of "watching the ads"? Advertisements are meant to defile the broadcast, not to replace it! It's just plain madness: I'm afraid that time will soon come when we Europeans will also fall prey to such blatant deception.
In Greece, just like in any other country marked by widespread poverty, sport extremism has taken a big toll on society. People often justify their violent outbursts under their pseudo-passion for a certain local club. Deaths as a result of clashes between but not limited to hooligans are by no means uncommon. In an age of internationalism were traditional vibrant national identity is at stake, capitalism has motivated citizens to further segregate themselves based on their club of choice so as to fulfill their natural desire to translate their wrath originating from economic and political oppression into pure, non-revolutionary violence.
Adopting a favorite club here is a necessity propagantized by our parents and society alike at an alarmingly young age. Even though most Greeks deep inside them do consider this tradition as utterly foolish, conformism won't let them express their thoughts publicly. Their illogical zeal is a result of a mostly conscious decision that allows them to fit in and form superficial friendships. Why don't they invest their free time into any other hobby? Because that's what the state is most passionately afraid of. The sports industry is profitable all while keeping citizens entertained and distracted from their interminable toil of surviving and trying to make ends meet.