It's about time to pose the question: Does football make us happy?

[Nynorsk]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/fo...otball-is-it-a-futile-game.html#disqus_thread

 

[thinktank]

What's Liverpool got to do with this??

 

[riggi]

When we win.

 

[etchedchaos]

When we win I'm buzzing, filled with happiness and an urge to talk Spurs with my fellow yiddos. Of course when we lose I won't talk to a soul for what might be a few hours or after the Chavs won the CL; a week.

 

[Gbspurs]

Bit of a nonsense, fluff piece considering the subject matter is the potentially serious one of depression in football.

I wonder if perhaps the reason why some footballers struggle with depression is that they have to have their lives paraded through papers like the telegraph and every second of their performance critiqued to the nth degree by people like this "journalist".

Not to mention that fact that many football clubs treat their players like an asset rather than a human being, an control every aspect of their daily life down to what good they eat and where they go out at night.

Easy to explain this all away with "but they earn msga money" as once you have earned this sort of money for a while the novelty of being wealthy would wear off anyway.

 

[Trix]

Bit of a nonsense, fluff piece considering the subject matter is the potentially serious one of depression in football.

I wonder if perhaps the reason why some footballers struggle with depression is that they have to have their lives paraded through papers like the telegraph and every second of their performance critiqued to the nth degree by people like this "journalist".

Not to mention that fact that many football clubs treat their players like an asset rather than a human being, an control every aspect of their daily life down to what good they eat and where they go out at night.

Easy to explain this all away with "but they earn msga money" as once you have earned this sort of money for a while the novelty of being wealthy would wear off anyway.

Nobody forces them to sign these contracts, and they are more than aware what is expected of them when they do. All employers have various codes of conduct that have to adeared to and this theirs. No one is forcing them not to go out downing pints and eating burgers, and they are free to do so if they choose. Should they do that though they should expect not to play or be paid though. They sign on as elite athletes because that is what the clubs require. The amount of money involved is irrelevant, the fact they agreed to follow those rules when signing on isn't.

 

[Gbspurs]

Nobody forces them to sign these contracts, and they are more than aware what is expected of them when they do. All employers have various codes of conduct that have to adeared to and this theirs. No one is forcing them not to go out downing pints and eating burgers, and they are free to do so if they choose. Should they do that though they should expect not to play or be paid though. They sign on as elite athletes because that is what the clubs require. The amount of money involved is irrelevant, the fact they agreed to follow those rules when signing on isn't.

A lot of them start this way of life when they are children though. How can they possibly be expected to know the pressures and expectations ahead of them, and how they will handle them?

 

[Trix]

A lot of them start this way of life when they are children though. How can they possibly be expected to know the pressures and expectations ahead of them, and how they will handle them?

It's the same in every walk of life mate. Some of them just won't be cut out to deal with it, same as in teaching, the armed forces, or the medical profession for instance. Those that are not fit for it need to find another more appropriate occupation, all be it a far lower paid one, which is why they continue on, even when it would be best for them to do something else.

People go on about the pressure of being a professional footballer, but it's because when there is an individual issue it is highly documented. I would expect though for it to be a much higher % of issues caused by stress in those other professions I listed above and they would get far less support than top end footballers get(and believe me they get lot).

Yes they are under strain etc, and of course it needs to be addressed when its a problem, but no more than the average man in the street struging to feed and cloth his family from week to week IMO.

 

[Gbspurs]

It's the same in every walk of life mate. Some of them just won't be cut out to deal with it, same as in teaching, the armed forces, or the medical profession for instance. Those that are not fit for it need to find another more appropriate occupation, all be it a far lower paid one, which is why they continue on, even when it would be best for them to do something else.

People go on about the pressure of being a professional footballer, but it's because when there is an individual issue it is highly documented. I would expect though for it to be a much higher % of issues caused by stress in those other professions I listed above and they would get far less support than top end footballers get(and believe me they get lot).

Yes they are under strain etc, and of course it needs to be addressed when its a problem, but no more than the average man in the street struging to feed and cloth his family from week to week IMO.

I'm not saying their struggle is greater than or even comparable to others, but it's largely ignored.

Back to the highlighted point in your post, this isn't so simple for those thrown into football at a young age. Things are better than they used to be but assuming football has been their main focus since they were very young, what sort of qualifications do they have to do anything in the normal world. At least someone who has trained as a teacher can think "fuck this" and get any number of jobs.

The other thing of course is that playing football isn't a job to them when they are kids, it's their dream. They probably spend their whole childhood with an overbearing parent telling pushing them towards a career and then people along the way reinforcing this dream. Its not too surprising that for some the reality isn't quite the dream they thought.

I just think it must take a lot of mental strength to be a high level footballer.

 

[Trix]

I'm not saying their struggle is greater than or even comparable to others, but it's largely ignored.

Back to the highlighted point in your post, this isn't so simple for those thrown into football at a young age. Things are better than they used to be but assuming football has been their main focus since they were very young, what sort of qualifications do they have to do anything in the normal world. At least someone who has trained as a teacher can think "fuck this" and get any number of jobs.

The other thing of course is that playing football isn't a job to them when they are kids, it's their dream. They probably spend their whole childhood with an overbearing parent telling pushing them towards a career and then people along the way reinforcing this dream. Its not too surprising that for some the reality isn't quite the dream they thought.

I just think it must take a lot of mental strength to be a high level footballer.

Mate let me just say regarding your first sentence, it is far from largely ignored. Both the clubs and the PFA do bucket loads for both current and ex players. They have far more assistance available to them than the vast majority of people do and that is a fact.

 

[michaelden]

Mate let me just say regarding your first sentence, it is far from largely ignored. Both the clubs and the PFA do bucket loads for both current and ex players. They have far more assistance available to them than the vast majority of people do and that is a fact.

I've heard of the ex-footballers counselling dept & footballers with depression, but never Construction Labourer Depression Meetings or ex-lawyer bastards counselling on how to be a decent human session

Jokes aside the 1st bit is true, they have loads of help and support, unlike most other industries.

 

[Trix]

As for the the second part, well there are many ex footballers that have gone on to have careers as physios, publicans, resteraunters, etc. Christ before the birth of the premier league most footballers hadto get by with other professions when they finished playing. Even at 30+ it is easy to retrain nowadays, and most players(certainly those at the top) should have a decent financial footing to get them started, which many don't.

 

[hellava_tough]

Football can be a great ice-breaker; it seems to be the common language of men around the world.

I've built up rapport with work colleagues, line managers, friends of friends, long-lost family members and complete strangers by talking football with them.

Only the other day I was on a long-haul flight and there was a Swedish guy next to me who wanted to talk all things Premier League.

I think we take this for granted sometimes. I've had girls say to me over the years that they wish they had a universal subject to break the ice with. I usually reply, "Going on and on about shoes doesn't cut it then?". Er, yeah, I'm still single...

 

[Gassin's finest]

I love football... playing, coaching, watching the local non-league team, going to the Lane, watching the WC final. All of it. From joining the school team to now playing in an over 35's team... my life has revolved around the game since I was 12.

 

[dontcallme]

It's an interesting question.

From a personal point of view I enjoyed playing for a team when I was younger. Then when I got to around 13 the game got more aggressive, the parents were being nasty on the sidelines, players started abusing the refs and I simply stopped enjoying the atmosphere so quit.

I played at lunch breaks with my mates and enjoyed it but again in time it just lost its enjoyment. I enjoy being a fan and mostly did that through my early adulthood.

But I got that itch to play so setup a friendly social group that plays among ourselves on Sunday afternoons. The games are semi-competitive and anyone that plays with the wrong attitude or takes the enjoyment from the gets banned.

For a professional footbalers point of view I think the money has messed a lot up. Young players breaking through are quickly bought by bigger clubs and offered big money. They don't get to enjoy regular football and the simple joys of playing and the game quickly becomes about money.

The fans are paying a lot and as a result demand a lot and are much more abusive to their own players in the modern game. The game has grown an edge through money rather than competitiveness.

I don't think footballers get the rounded experience of choice that other young people have. Their lives are dictated by money and agents and despite getting paid good money for doing something they love they find themselves unhappy.

People from the outside will think it's weak to be unhappy in such a situation but happiness and understanding how to find it is something human beings have struggled with throughout time regardless of wealth.

 

[theShiznit]

Life is futile.

How you distract yourself from that is up to you...

 

[CosmicHotspur]

Life is futile.

How you distract yourself from that is up to you...

That's exactly what we tend to do to put off getting to the final breath. Entertain and amuse ourselves and/or find some kind of purpose or pursuit that we think will benefit mankind.

If football or anything else gives us moments of pleasure and joy, why not? There's always a downside when we lose but that's true of everything in life.

 

[sbrustad]

I love football. It doesn't always make me happy, though, but is it supposed to?

 

[hellava_tough]

I love football. It doesn't always make me happy, though, but is it supposed to?

That's a good point.

I think it's all about the fix we need from the rollercoaster ride of emotions.

And obviously if you don't lose, you don't appreciate winning.

Spurs have probably been one of the best clubs in England for that emotional fix; the ups and downs we've had as fans over the last 20 years have been incredible.

I do wonder if Man Utd fans of the 90s and 00s enjoyed football as much as other fans. We all want our team to win, but ironically this might take the fun out of the game if your team wins too much.

Same could be said of Barca and Real Madric fans I guess.

 

[nailsy]

I can't think of many of things that make me scream and jump around the room like a nutter...other than knocking over a pint of beer I suppose, but that isn't a happy scream.