Being thinking today about how the type of sport a country is a big follower of can affect the cultural identity of that place (or you could say the culture makes it more likely that the sport will become popular)...
For example, take soccer... I saw an add today which said something along the lines of "Take the opportunity when it comes your way, you've usually only got one shot!" (or something like that).. With the obvious reference being to soccer which is such a low scoring game that every shot at goal counts, such pressure on a single moment. Is that an indication of a European approach to life? (in a very general sense) are there a load of brits out there looking and waiting for their one and only chance, and ready to go for it?
Conversely look at AFL.. It's a fairly high scoring game, where anything can happen.. the game isn't over until that siren goes! You've always got another chance to get back to the top, no matter how far down you are... You could be 17 points in the lead with only 2 minutes to go in the game, but those 2 minutes can be enough time for the other team to score 3 goals and take the lead from you. Is this where the 'Anzac spirit' of never giving up comes from? or is it just a manifestation of it?
I don't know, maybe it's all bollocks and it's just sport, or I could be onto something there...
Either way, that's my thoughts for today. :-)
B
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Even in football there's always another chance, and many times something happens in the dying seconds of the match that will change the outcome. Maybe some people here take the "one big chance" approach but I don't think that's a generic cultural thing, it all depends on the individual. In many ways the UK has had to continually reinvent itself eg coping with decline of industries such as mining, and people have had to find a way through that. It's also very difficult to generalise abut European culture - I'll take you to Spain one day! Will let you know what I think of the Aussie attitude in a couple of months, but I think sport is important culturally as someting that brings people together rather than being a reflection of something more fundamental.
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