The Round Ball Game - II

[antongould]

Check out the winning goal, S-A.

fantastic effort from England, deserved champions, and played with real style.
I had to listen to most of it on the radio, but got home in time to see the winner. Which was nice !!

Yes brilliant indeed

[french frank]

They are doing wonderfully well …… but as ever we will lose to Germany on penalties ……..

Pundits, eh!

[antongould]

Pundits, eh!

Indeed

[DracoM]

Not a good game IMO, some poor reffing, and would not make me cross the road for more, I'm afraid.

[Parry1912]

Not a good game IMO, some poor reffing, and would not make me cross the road for more, I'm afraid.

I couldn’t help thinking it was probably what the men’s game was like in the first World Cup. If, however, their win stops people banging on about ‘it coming home’ (when it (i.e. football) actually came ‘home’ in 1996) then that will be good.

[gurnemanz]

I couldn’t help thinking it was probably what the men’s game was like in the first World Cup. If, however, their win stops people banging on about ‘it coming home’ (when it (i.e. football) actually came ‘home’ in 1996) then that will be good.

Great achievement but after decades of poor coverage of women's football, for me the pendulum has swung too far into over-hype, tending towards hysteria.
.

[french frank]

Great achievement but after decades of poor coverage of women's football, for me the pendulum has swung too far into over-hype, tending towards hysteria.
.

I thoroughly agree about the hysteria. I find it chilling that people get so worked up, but I don't think it would have been any different if it had been the men's team. Nothing more depressing than hearing the woman commentator bawling just like the men. Blame the media for that. I suspect, though, that people are just inured to the hype in the men's game: part and parcel and accepted as normal.

[teamsaint]

I thoroughly agree about the hysteria. I find it chilling that people get so worked up, but I don't think it would have been any different if it had been the men's team. Nothing more depressing than hearing the woman commentator bawling just like the men. Blame the media for that. I suspect, though, that people are just inured to the hype in the men's game: part and parcel and accepted as normal.

Football is hardly the only place where mass hysteria is firmly embedded in our society. Then last two or three years should have made that obvious if it wasn't already.
Women's football was never going to escape it. Check the German press reaction to the game for further details.

Most of the media needs ignoring most of the time. Then one can get on and enjoy life, ( including women's football) with a bit of luck.

[french frank]

Football is hardly the only place where mass hysteria is firmly embedded in our society. Then last two or three years should have made that obvious if it wasn't already.

Oh, yes, I wasn't singling out football. Because I'm a naturally phlegmatic character, I do find this level of emotion (and you name the cause) almost frightening. The football sphere is by no means the most threatening.

Women's football was never going to escape it. Check the German press reaction to the game for further details.

It has followed the same competitive path. Not just village team against village team, or town against town. European and World competitions are going to attract the crowds and the bigger the crowds … especially when it reaches national(ist) levels. And perhaps professional sport? Is that controversial?

[Serial_Apologist]

It [the German media - TS] has followed the same competitive path. Not just village team against village team, or town against town. European and World competitions are going to attract the crowds and the bigger the crowds … especially when it reaches national(ist) levels. And perhaps professional sport? Is that controversial?

Not in the context of the way capitalism, (boulstered whenever convenient by nationalism), frames and shapes the psych-social commentary context as one of winner takes all. I couldn't help remarking to the empty room this morning when one commentator claimed the reputation now gained for women in sport as "a victory for feminism" that the German press might not have stated it in those terms. And another thing - am I being disingenuous in noting the few black and Asian women in the English team?

[french frank]

And another thing - am I being disingenuous in noting the few black and Asian women in the English team?

There's a BBC video clip about that. The whole question is absolutely fundamental to our society and the experiences of Black and Asian people - nothing specifically to do with women's football (or eg classical music).

Your interpolation [the German media - TS] was not the 'it' I was referring to. I just meant 'women's football'. Professional sport is just one of any number of areas where huge salaries are 'earned' because that is literally so. The pop stars, the footballers and others are paid huge salaries because they bring in the money. And more worth it than industrialists who get huge bonuses even when they perform badly. Bit of a digression from 'the Beautiful Game', but if people concentrated on the 'beauty' of the game rather than who scored the most goals, and the individual adulation, it might divert people from the money aspect.

I didn't watch any of the football except a few odd clips. I thought the first English goal of the final was better than the second. And Russo's (??) back-heel in the semis even more joyous.

[EnemyoftheStoat]

I thoroughly agree about the hysteria. I find it chilling that people get so worked up, but I don't think it would have been any different if it had been the men's team. Nothing more depressing than hearing the woman commentator bawling just like the men. Blame the media for that. I suspect, though, that people are just inured to the hype in the men's game: part and parcel and accepted as normal.

It has certainly brought home to me what it must be like in "normal" times for those who don't share the apparent general enthusiasm for something that's all over the media. And there's a World Cup coming up in November, with probable blanket coverage despite the dubious morality of the when and where. I do wonder what the wave of national hysteria would look like if the blokes did win the thing, and who might try to hijack it...

[burning dog]

Good job it didn't go to penalties!

[Ein Heldenleben]

It has certainly brought home to me what it must be like in "normal" times for those who don't share the apparent general enthusiasm for something that's all over the media. And there's a World Cup coming up in November, with probable blanket coverage despite the dubious morality of the when and where. I do wonder what the wave of national hysteria would look like if the blokes did win the thing, and who might try to hijack it...

I’ve been following football since the sixties and the hysteria and hype around it is just out of control. We are now hearing that last nights victory will “change society” . A quote from tonight’s six o’clock news. Of course it won’t , In 1968 no one gave a stuff about the Euros Men competition when we beat the Russians in the playoff having lost to Yugoslavia in the semis.
Football changes nothing other than making a very few people very rich. Messi and Ronaldo aren’t role models any more than Beethoven is . The number of Brits who will get to their heights is so small as to be immeasurable- you’re better off passing your A levels or learning plumbing.
That said in a poor match the Womens team showed the mens team how to beat the Germans - match them physically , don’t be intimidated and when you get a lead with ten minutes to go play the rest of the match within twenty feet of their corner flag. Nice one…

[antongould]

Jill Scott and her, justified, outburst did the Land Of The Pit Heaps proud ……