What is it about sports that drives people crazy?…a win for their favorite team can be a cause for celebration; at the same time a loss for the team they support can completely ruin their day and mood. What amazes me is the immense degree of involvement in a sport, which one probably doesn’t even play!- this passion for sports, represents to me, the ultimate in vicarious pleasure.
Here in Cairo, football is the most popular game, it can drive people crazy and how! Last night after Egypt’s win over Sudan in the Africa Cup of Nations, the streets filled up rapidly and the traffic scene was a nightmare. The fans celebrated their country’s win by honking, waving the Egyptian flag and even lighting up flares on the roads. It was a sight to behold! I was only thankful that I was watching the celebrations from the safety of my apartment window and not stuck in the “snail’s pace” traffic below. This outpouring of emotion reminds me of the times when you can see similar scenes in India after India’s win in a cricket match.
But why does someone else’s win make you feel like a winner? Is it a "patriotic thing" that makes you go completely bonkers when the national team wins? But then, I have sat rooted to the T.V while Steffi Graf played a Grand Slam final and prayed for her to win-she is a German and I an Indian….so it can’t be the patriotic thing. Also, the discovery of a life-saving drug or the launching of a satellite by your country does not result in the same outpouring of emotion
Is it the inroads that the media has made in our lives that makes us feel as if we are a part of the game from the beginning till the end? Earlier, it was the radio commentary that had people glued to their radio sets, now watching the games on big screens have become a social event. It is almost as if it is you playing every ball or striving every minute for a win. Then again it is the physical sports that score over those needing you to exercise your grey cells. A Sachin Tendulkar hitting a six on the last ball, taking the Indian team to victory gets the fans screaming for more; a Vishwanathan Anand making the winning move in chess is likely to elicit just polite clapping.
But I am not complaining – because the roads of Cairo are blessedly devoid of traffic when Egypt is playing a football match; but be warned-make it to your destination before the match ends or you could be caught in the “worst traffic jam ever”!
Here in Cairo, football is the most popular game, it can drive people crazy and how! Last night after Egypt’s win over Sudan in the Africa Cup of Nations, the streets filled up rapidly and the traffic scene was a nightmare. The fans celebrated their country’s win by honking, waving the Egyptian flag and even lighting up flares on the roads. It was a sight to behold! I was only thankful that I was watching the celebrations from the safety of my apartment window and not stuck in the “snail’s pace” traffic below. This outpouring of emotion reminds me of the times when you can see similar scenes in India after India’s win in a cricket match.
But why does someone else’s win make you feel like a winner? Is it a "patriotic thing" that makes you go completely bonkers when the national team wins? But then, I have sat rooted to the T.V while Steffi Graf played a Grand Slam final and prayed for her to win-she is a German and I an Indian….so it can’t be the patriotic thing. Also, the discovery of a life-saving drug or the launching of a satellite by your country does not result in the same outpouring of emotion
Is it the inroads that the media has made in our lives that makes us feel as if we are a part of the game from the beginning till the end? Earlier, it was the radio commentary that had people glued to their radio sets, now watching the games on big screens have become a social event. It is almost as if it is you playing every ball or striving every minute for a win. Then again it is the physical sports that score over those needing you to exercise your grey cells. A Sachin Tendulkar hitting a six on the last ball, taking the Indian team to victory gets the fans screaming for more; a Vishwanathan Anand making the winning move in chess is likely to elicit just polite clapping.
But I am not complaining – because the roads of Cairo are blessedly devoid of traffic when Egypt is playing a football match; but be warned-make it to your destination before the match ends or you could be caught in the “worst traffic jam ever”!
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