Some people like to play sports, some like to read, some like to listen to music and some like to follow the events in the Middle East. Following the events in the Middle East from abroad is somewhat comparable to following a soap opera, or following the football. You don’t have to be a Jew to follow these events; everyone likes to get involved nowadays even if you are not from the Middle East and have no real connection to it, everyone supports a team in the region. Whether it is Jews supporting Israel; Arabs supporting Palestinians, or Europeans picking either whomever they perceive to be the under-dog or just glory supporters cheering on the winners, a bit like how non English people will support a club team in their own country and also a team in the English Premiere league.
For many people it is a bit like following a TV show or a Sport, if you are into it and follow it, you can sit and debate, forecast, analyze and argue about it for hours and if you aren’t interested in it, its really boring to listen to.
To support a team in the Middle East league from abroad has all sorts of rituals that are the duty of every fan. For example if supporters of another team are criticizing your team, trying to win fans or delegitimize your team; like fights between football hooligans, Middle East fans engage in University debates, street demonstrations and accusing the media of bias reporting.
And of course, visiting one of these countries once or twice a year is like going to a game. Some people will go to show solidarity during a war, which is like buying tickets to a cup final. Where they can then boast with pride of how they were there during that war and describe the atmosphere at the time in detail for the rest of their lives.
On visiting the country one often comes home with the clubs merchandise, I.E. Kippot, Mezuzot, Israeli flags, a new pair of crocs a Nargillah and other Jewish and Israeli goods. Organised trips will also go to the trouble of teaching new fans the teams songs, instead of “Yid Army” or “Glory, glory Tottenham Hotspur” the fans learn songs traditionally psalms or prayers heard in Synagogues on Shabbat or festivals mixed with some of the old Israeli Peace songs such as “Am Yisrael Chai,” “David Melech Yisrael” or “Yachad.”
Season ticket holders are those who decide to buy property in Ranaana, Netanya or Herzliya Pituach. This is like having your own luxury box. The Machers who invest lots of money in the club, may get the honour of meeting the manager (the Prime Minister) and the team unofficially.
When Israel does compete in sporting events abroad it is like the country is a band that has gone on tour, where all the local fans go to see them play.
Being an Israel fan or a Palestinian fan is like a hobby, it is full of excitement, anxiety, intellectually stimulating to talk about, great fun to visit, to learn about and full of passion, love and hatred. For some people of course it is a part of their actual religion but it has become fused with that of a hobby, one need not be religious at all to have an interest though.
But what happens when one makes a career out of a hobby? The hobby becomes boring, its just work and is no longer fun. Whilst Israelis here go about their lives struggling to pay bills, nervous that they will be called up from the bench for miluim (reserve duty) and it not be just for a training session or get injured in a collision at some point without being prepared, Its supporters feel the pain from afar and rally to help however they can.
Some who choose to make their hobby of Israel their profession have the luxury of being able to go back and forth, on and off the pitch, spending half the year on and when they get tired they can come off for a few months, relax, refuel and go back on fresh again. Others just get really tired of playing and need to be taken off the pitch for a bit at least but cant and will continue playing but not have their heart and soul in it or full concentration and as a result play badly.
Israelis on the other hand have a different kind of hobby; life here is like running around playing football, and living to an extent in a TV show in Britain. In Britain, life moves at a relatively calm, steady, orderly pace with little major disturbances (setting aside being snowed in every so often, or a flooding crisis) and so Britons when they look for escapism and leisure like to watch TV shows where people misbehave, watch action movies with explosions and crime, or read about adventure, hence why following the events in the Middle East is interesting to them, because they are anything but boring.
But for Israelis it is quite the opposite, they tend to be less fond of hearing about such things as their form of escapism as they see people misbehaving every time they get into a car, go to the post office or sit in a restaurant. Life simply is like living in an episode of South Park, people are generally not politically correct and you will without fail always find people who are never doing what they are supposed to in most situations. Instead they gain pleasure out of the thought of or seeing people taking a stroll in a green park having a picnic and observing a life of peace and quiet.
If someone decides to stop playing and leaves the club then the reaction from half the players and the fans is disappointment, at the idea of losing a player. As I stand down off the pitch and leave the stadium my days as an active fan are also not what they once were and that too is even more disappointing to the club and its fans.
It is certainly much easier and more enjoyable for many to observe from the crowd. But I would more challenge those fans to become players and conclude that there is more to life than football.
Alex Carson
January 2010
For more articles by Alex Carson, visit: http://alexcarson.wordpress.com/
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