Soccer and its loss of meaning
In this article I will show that soccer clubs are losing their importance and meaning due to effects caused by Corona.
I will start with explaining common myths and relate these common myths to soccer clubs. Then I will show which and how parts of soccer clubs are influenced by Corona. I will describe potential outcomes of these effects.
And I will give you some hope.
Common myths
We humans are different from animals. We are different because we can think on abstract levels. We can believe in something that is not real, not tangible. We can believe in a god, a company, a nation or money.
One of those intangible ideas are soccer clubs.
Sounds weird? It is not! Follow me!
Ever since the cognitive revolution, sapiens has lived in a dual reality. The real world and the world of myths.
The myths we told each other have enabled us to cooperate. Especially for large-scale cooperation we need(ed) those myths.
Yval Noah Harari defines common myths as the possibility to “imagine things, but to do so collectively” and that this collective imagination gives us “the unprecedented ability to cooperate flexibly in large numbers”
What Harari is saying is that if you find others who believe in the same idea as you do, you can bring that phantasy to life collectively. You can make it tangible by cooperating with others.
To convince people to believe in the same common myth you need to tell them (and yourself) stories.
The common myth of soccer clubs now is under threat.
Why soccer clubs are a (common) myth
Let´s look at the parts a soccer club consists of and tear them apart. Thereby we see, that a soccer club is just a common myth.
Players
A soccer club consists of players. They are an essential part of each club.
There are famous players who are more interwoven with their clubs than the rest of the team. Like Messi is an essential part of Barcelona. But is he? As I am writing this article he is trying to pull on a strike to get away from Barcelona. Assume, he succeeds. Will Barcelona still be Barcelona, the club? Yes, it will.
I argue that the same applies for every other player in every club.
Stadiums
Stadiums are the temples of soccer. Some people consider their visit to certain stadiums as part of their lifetime goals. You cannot take away those. Can´t you?
Consider club 1860 München. They started their history in the stadium in Grünwalder Street in 1926. In the 90ies they moved into Olympiastadion, in 2005 into Allianz Arena and then back again into Grünwalder in 2017. Was it still the same club? Sure it was.
There are more examples that I will spare and conclude: Stadiums are interchangeable.
Coaches and club owners
Coaches are a part of soccer clubs. Do I really have to explain that coaches are changing frequently? I don´t think so.
Same for club owners. The big soccer clubs have become investment opportunity, or hobby for people like Sheikh Mansour or Dietrich Mateschitz.
The ownership might change — like shares of a public company do. Still, it´s the same club.
Colours and jerseys
Soccer clubs consist of their colors. Yes, changing colors might be a tough call and fans might rebel. Like they did, when Cardiff changed from blue to red to blue. But still, it will be the same club.
Soccer clubs consist of their jerseys. Well, those are changed every season. The sponsors are part of the jersey — but even those change from time to time.
So? Colors and jerseys are non-essential for keeping up a myth of a soccer club.
Names
The names of soccer clubs are changed frequently. Arsenal, one example of many, started in 1886 as Dial Square, then named themselves Royal Arsenal and Woolwich Arsenal. Woolwich Arsenal became The Arsenal with ‘The’ dropped around 1915.
I think you got the point. Let´s come to one of the main elements. The fans.
The fans
A soccer club consists of fans. A club depends on its fans. But fans also change.
At some point in life, mostly as a child, people fall in love with a club. Nobody will change their club. But people might lose interest. Or, in the long term, a new generation of fans joins the club. So, there is a change in fans going on.
So, you can change everything a soccer club consist of.
Where is the problem now?
The problem
Well, you can change everything, but you cannot just take away something.
And that is happening now in times of Corona. The fans in the stadiums are as good as gone. Only sometimes a few visitors are allowed in the stadium. The fans are still somewhere, but they are at home, in front of their TVs. They do not shout collectively in the stadium anymore.
Can you imagine a church service without disciples? Can you imagine companies where employees are not allowed to speak to each other anymore?
I guess, you can´t because churches, companies and soccer clubs consist of communication patterns (Fritz B. Simon). When those are gone, the company ceases to exist. And the kind of communication that belongs to soccer is the talking, screaming, shouting, celebration (or joint suffering) of the fans.
That is why when you now watch a soccer game it feels shallow and empty. Something is missing. Yeah, the fans are not there.
But this feeling is deeper.
You get the impression, that it is really just 22 people (well, mostly men) on a green turf, hitting a leather sack that is filled with air with parts of their body collectively to bring that object into a frame with a net.
There is no common myth anymore that emerges (Steven Johnson) from the communication patterns of the participants. This used to lead to some kind of magic in the air, something bigger that just the sum of all the soccer fans just being added up.
But now? Now there is no 1 + 1 = 3 anymore.
So, one of the major parts the common myth of a soccer club consists of is (temporarily) gone. The bigger the stadium and number of supporters the more dramatic is the effect. Clubs like Borussia Dortmund or FC Köln suffer more than Hoffenheim.
Where could that lead us?
Outlook
Nobody knows for sure. Even though some patterns of historic pandemics, like a second wave, repeat themselves, long term consequences of the 2nd or 3rd order do not follow linear cause and effect relationships.
But I have a hypotheses.
Maybe we humans are limited in the amount of common myths we can take hold of and believe in. I assumed above that the value of the common myth of soccer clubs currently decreases. That leads to a gap in our hearts.
But I am an optimist. There is no gap. It´s an opportunity.
Our hearts now offer us some free space.
A glimpse of hope
Let´s try to fill that space with something more worthwhile than airfilled dead animal skin that is tossed around by people.
As long as soccer games are less visited or even cancelled we can use our additional time and freed up mental space to connect with others. We can now create and strengthen real relations.
Nevertheless, I am very much looking forward to the time when soccer will be normal again. When the stadiums are full and the crowds are cheering and shouting for anger and joy. And be sure, I will join in!
But maybe, maybe, some more space in our hearts is filled with connectedness.
Stay safe and healthy!
Disclaimer
I love soccer. I do not want to take away the magic from this beloved game. But even more I love mental models.
In this article I apply models to soccer. Feel free to disagree or discuss with me — but stay open minded and be aware that my reflections here are just thought experiments. Models are just models
– and the map is not the territory.
If you are interested in the application of mental models on seemingly unrelated topics, follow me.
Also, feel free to connect and discuss. You find me on twitter @SirRendipity or LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/florian-schmidt-550bb820/
Sources
Barney Corkhill — Lionel Messi ‘still on strike despite Barcelona U-turn’ (https://www.sportsmole.co.uk/football/barcelona/transfer-talk/news/lionel-messi-still-on-strike-despite-barcelona-u-turn_413199.html)
Thomas Hennecke — BVB bekommt neuen Hauptsponsor und deutlich mehr Geld (https://www.kicker.de/bvb_bekommt_neuen_hauptsponsor_und_deutlich_mehr_geld-770134/artikel)
Steven Johnson — Emergence
Andy Kelly — HOW ARSENAL’S NAME CHANGED — THE ARSENAL (http://www.thearsenalhistory.com/?p=7730)
Alfred Korzybski — Map–territory relation (https://fs.blog/2015/11/map-and-territory/)
JOSHUA PECK — Premier League club’s former names and why they changed revealed (https://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/1180356/Premier-League-former-names-Manchester-United-Arsenal-Everton-Newcastle#:~:text=Arsenal%2C%20Manchester%20United%20and%20Everton,name%20during%20their%20illustrious%20past)
Fritz B. Simon — Gemeinsam sind wir blöd
Who are the richest football club owners in the world? (https://www.goal.com/en-us/news/who-are-the-richest-football-club-owners-in-the-world/15g2j9z9l37m91y0i5c8os7xgn)
Cardiff City owner Vincent Tan confirms return to traditional blue kit (https://www.espn.com/soccer/league-name/story/2234909/headline)
TSV 1860 München Geschichte (https://www.muenchen.de/veranstaltungen/tsv-1860-muenchen/geschichte.html#:~:text=Seit%201926%20spielten%20die%20L%C3%B6wen,seinen%20ersten%20%C3%BCberregionalen%20Titel%20erringen.&text=Im%20Gegensatz%20zum%20Lokalrivalen%20FC,Fu%C3%9Fball%2DBundesliga%20im%20Jahre%201963.)
The Map Is Not the Territory (https://fs.blog/2015/11/map-and-territory/)
Second-Order Thinking: What Smart People Use to Outperform (https://fs.blog/2016/04/second-order-thinking/)
Mental Models: The Best Way to Make Intelligent Decisions (109 Models Explained) (https://fs.blog/mental-models/)