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[Football] Who’s not watching the World Cup?
- Thread starter twowheelsbest
- Start date
Shambolic. World is upside down.
hart's shirt
Well-known member
'I love football so much that watching it is my job - was my World Cup boycott worth it?'
https://www.theguardian.com/comment...ve-football-watching-my-job-world-cup-boycottDecent balanced article that's worth a read in full as it covers a lot of what we've discussed previously.
Here's an excerpt from it:
"I watched nothing – not even the highlights. I scrolled past social media posts and ignored match reports. Being able to work remotely made it easier to miss the games and the excitement building in our office. With my friends, there was a bit of head-scratching at first, but they accepted my decision. Yet I did feel that conversations seemed to tail off when I mentioned I wasn’t watching, like they all felt a bit awkward about it. With my colleagues, I felt a bit embarrassed to admit what I was doing, given so much of what we do revolves around following top-level football.
Now the World Cup is wrapping up, there’s definitely an element of feeling as if I’ve cut off my nose to spite my face. It wasn’t so much England’s journey that I minded missing, but the shocks of Saudi Arabia beating Argentina, Japan turning over Germany and Morocco’s groundbreaking run. One of the hardest things was talking to my dad over the phone. As I’m sure is the case with a lot of parents and their children, one of the main topics of conversation we have is sport. That shared experience was gone because of my choice, and I got the feeling he didn’t really understand why I was doing it.
What difference can one person make? I’m sure the BBC and ITV won’t miss one viewer, and Fifa have already made millions selling TV rights for the North American World Cup in 2026. Yet I’m proud that I stood by my principles, and would do so again."
Apart from about 10minutes of the England v France game, and the odd game on in the background while I've been in the pub, haven't seen any of it.
Even that limited boycott will give me enough self-satisfied smugness to get to Easter.
Even that limited boycott will give me enough self-satisfied smugness to get to Easter.
Missed a good'un folks.
Cheeky Monkey
Well-known member
- Jul 17, 2003
- 23,884
So did all the dead people fella, although I guess their families might have watched it, spent the £200 compensation on buying a TV for the match.
Not condoning anything that Qatar have done at all, but the football has been very good.
I think I heard a few 'best WC ever' comments on the BBC. For me it's the worst WC ever. The football was good, but that's irrelevant in the circumstances.
I have not watched any of it. I didn't set out to not watch it on any moral grounds, I just don't have a massive love for international football, and I think italia 90 was the last time I actually enjoyed watching a world cup (back when I was about 10). I thought I might at least catch some of the later matches when it went to knock out games, but nope.
I see all the comments about the great football, but I don't feel bad about missing it. There's always more great football on the horizon.
I see all the comments about the great football, but I don't feel bad about missing it. There's always more great football on the horizon.
BadFish
Huge Member
- Oct 19, 2003
- 18,226
Well done people, I thought I would cave by the end but it really wasn't that hard once the decision was made.
Probably won't make any difference to anything, FIFA are and will continue to be awful, Qatar will presumably go back to their backward ways (until they bid for the Olympics) and the world will keep turning.
Exercising ones power to give our money and attention to what we choose rather than what is paid for feels quite good though.
Probably won't make any difference to anything, FIFA are and will continue to be awful, Qatar will presumably go back to their backward ways (until they bid for the Olympics) and the world will keep turning.
Exercising ones power to give our money and attention to what we choose rather than what is paid for feels quite good though.
hart's shirt
Well-known member
Purely on football and drama alone, it was clearly the best WC Final ever IMHO. Nothing in recent memory comes close.
6 goals, 3 penalties, a hat-trick, 2 goals in 90 seconds, extra-time, chances for both teams to win in the 120th min, shootout.
As for whether it was the best WC ever, there's clearly plenty of other things away from the field of play to factor in here.
For those who didn't watch some or all of the tournament, I can respect that. Your decision, your choice.
It's been a brilliant tournament on the field. And it asks some unfortunate questions.
Was it as good because all the best players were warmed up and mid-season rather than half injured and coming off a week in Aya Napa after a long, long, season? So, did winter cup work in terms of the games?
Would Morocco have done as well if the cup had been played in Europe or South America? Can their breakthrough be used to advance African and Arab football, ideally for both the men and women's games?
If you're a genuine boycotter who resisted some absolutely sublime football then well done. But I think that, whatever you think about the corruption that decided the Cup's location, and the very different culture to Western liberalism that exists there, this competition has asked some challenging questions about global football and potentially changed some of it for the better.
Ridiculous, avoiding the footie due to some religious views according to sexuality of the host nation. At the same time ignoring a lot of the colonial plundering of a lot of nations involved in that's why they are still rich today. Maybe Iraq, Libya and Afghanistan are not watching as well.
Relieved the whole thing is over. It was a hideous experience not watching it, but I feel like I've done what I felt was right. I feel fine for not having watched.
To those who watched, it sounds like you were rewarded with some fantastic football, and that's what the game should be about.
I'm not saying my actions were right or wrong. They were just right for me. I do expect this to result in me asking some more questions about which side of which fence I want to be on in the future. They may be uncomfortable questions, but not watching this amazing spectacle has helped me prove to myself that I can answer those questions with actions.
Anyhow, we have a World Cup winner in our squad! That's brilliant. And, on another occasion I think England could have made that final with Argentina. Just imagine how bad the French feel today. Perhaps the nation swerved one?
To those who watched, it sounds like you were rewarded with some fantastic football, and that's what the game should be about.
I'm not saying my actions were right or wrong. They were just right for me. I do expect this to result in me asking some more questions about which side of which fence I want to be on in the future. They may be uncomfortable questions, but not watching this amazing spectacle has helped me prove to myself that I can answer those questions with actions.
Anyhow, we have a World Cup winner in our squad! That's brilliant. And, on another occasion I think England could have made that final with Argentina. Just imagine how bad the French feel today. Perhaps the nation swerved one?
nicko31
Well-known member
The people that die taking these stadiums down won't get a mention. It ain't over