In Defence Of ''Sportsball"
A Short Scroll
The term ‘‘sportsball’’ can irritate me. In recent years, I have come across it online and in company. If you have not heard it before, you may have correctly guessed that it describes, in a belittling manner, any sport involving a ball. People who use this phrase often chafe when signalling their sense of intellectual superiority over those who enjoy watching sport, particularly football. Such types usually note the hijacking of the game by cultural leftism as a reason to shun it. They criticise football for its use as a bread and circus act that distracts the docile masses from important issues. The showcasing of some of the worst aspects of globalisation is another complaint, and they point to football as a cause of cultural deracination. The largely foreign composition of teams in the Premier League is a source of alienation. These are fair observations but do not justify a derisory attitude to people who enjoy Britain’s national sport.
Understandably, people feel dissatisfied with the lack of English players in the top tier of English football. As with many things in life, the problem is one of degree. The Premier League would not be widely regarded as the best league in the world were it not for its ability to attract the finest players. Nor would it be the most watched division globally. Unfortunately, it is not just the best players from overseas that fill the ranks of top-flight clubs. For every Cristiano Ronaldo or Thierry Henry, there seem to be at least a dozen foreign players who teams should be able to replace with similarly capable English players. In 1995, limits on foreign players in the Premier League were found to be incompatible with European Union law. Today, Premiership clubs are not allowed more than seventeen non home grown players in their first-team squads. This lax limit is even less restrictive than it appears, as a homegrown player is defined as anyone registered with a domestic club three years before their twenty-first birthday. Ideally, although unrealistic at this time, this situation would be rectified, and a ratio of at least fifty per cent native to fifty per cent foreign would prevail. This would force top clubs to target the very best foreign talent. Those disillusioned with the situation might be consoled by an awareness that English players who feature for the top clubs have had to overcome incredible competition to earn their places. Their high calibre is assured.
Chris Dangerfield makes a good point on this subject on his YouTube channel. To paraphrase his view, the politicisation of the game is a bad thing, but if the English shun football cultural ground is surrendered.
Deracination is aided more by disregarding the game than by remaining attentive to football in England. Once we stop caring about the sport because of the negative cultural influences encouraged by governing bodies and commercial interests, we give up a major part of our cultural inheritance. The English should never lose sight of the fact that Association football is an English invention. Relinquishing a concern in it amounts to a form of cultural self-effacement.
In what is a testing cultural climate to put it mildly, we should focus on the positive aspects of the sport. Football can involve many virtues and useful qualities. Dedication, discipline, skill, artistry, cleverness, courage, organisation, strategic thinking, endurance, physical excellence etc. These are things worthy of emulation in the cause of physical, mental and social wellbeing. This task is easier in a society that esteems quality competitors and the games they play.
Today, so much Western culture inverts natural hierarchies in increasingly perverse ways. Manufactured pop musicians who recite songs containing the same tired themes and formulaic lyrics are pushed onto society by their wealthy promoters. Morbidly obese people are lauded and harmful initiatives like the ‘body positivity movement’ are encouraged. We always hear of well paying jobs obtained without merit via statist social engineering projects. And those without a detectable talent can enrich themselves by sleazy and outlandish acts. For all its faults, professional football is a meritocracy. Invariably, the best players attract the biggest clubs who offer the most lucrative contracts in a results driven business. The beautiful game counters dogmatic views of equality and equity; this is something to cheer.
Where else do upbeat English people meet regularly in their tens and thousands other than at grounds and stadiums to watch their team? We should never lose sight of the community and togetherness that sport enables. A great potential exists for huge networks of supporters to mobilise for causes relating to their communities. Sometimes this does happen. On June 28th, in London, football supporters will protest in response to the industrial-scale nationwide rape of English children by alien clan-gangs. This is a positive case of fans coming together for a purpose that far surpasses the importance of any game.
An alternative to deriding those who invest significant time in watching football would be to ask how this interest should be sensibly integrated into a balanced life. If a sport is the only thing someone is interested in and it leads to the neglect of personal development, family and nation, it might be fair to say it is an unhealthy distraction. It is not reflective of a healthy society when people express more anger over their team’s latest defeat than they do in response to the sickening horrors that afflict Britain today or the current ruination of the country and our broader culture. A sensible perspective is important, and I think most football fans have this.
All subscriptions, likes and restacks (shares) are very much appreciated.
If you would like to make a one-off donation, you can buy me a coffee here.
Heritage Site pieces involving analysis of matters pertaining to football and its impact on our culture can be found via the links below.
English Triumph And Leftist Lament
National celebration ensued when Chloe Kelly’s late goal against Germany secured the first ever European Championship for English football on July 31st, 2022. This was a monumental moment. Unfortunately, not everybody tasked with reporting on the tournament greeted the success with unreserved enthusiasm. The sanctimonious apostles of …
English Triumph and Leftist Lament Part 2
Perhaps the most galling antipathy towards the English team came from The Guardian. On the 18th of July, the paper ran a piece by Anita Asante titled Lack of diversity in England Women squad will stop many girls from dreaming. The subtitle read Set-up of elite women’s football in England needs to ch…
Supporting England Is Not the Same Anymore
The sight of a packed Wembley Stadium and a sea of swaying crosses of St. George endures for those who cherish the memory of Euro 96. The England team galvanised the nation by winning memorable victories and providing many iconic moments. England famously beat the Nether…
References
Daniel Draper, Attempts to reduce the number of foreign players in English football could be hampered by European Laws, 23/10/2013, Farley’s Solicitors, https://www.farleys.com/attempts-to-reduce-the-number-of-foreign-players-in-english-football-could-be-hampered-by-european-laws, accessed: 26/5/25
Gerard Brand, Do Premier League clubs need to sign homegrown players?, 19/8/2020 Sky Sports, https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11661/12052427/do-premier-league-clubs-need-to-sign-homegrown-players, accessed: 26/5/25
A good article on an important subject that l myself have pondered on for sometime. Football is like a microcosm for the country at large: we aren't happy with the direction of the game but that doesn't mean we are about to give up on it either.
As a seasoned football fan myself, l am not lying when l say l could write a book on what is wrong with the game in its current form: from ticket prices to corporatisation of the game, from foreign ownership to sponsorship there is a lot wrong with modern football (again, much like modern Britain).
I'd also like to mention that in these spheres a certain type of person expects people to be 'based' (to be honest l kind of hate that word) in every single last aspect and facet of their life which is both unrealistic and infuriating at the same time.
People should be left to enjoy their past times and leisure interests as they please, anons be damned.
As a supporter of my local club for 30 years, it was sad that I felt I had no choice but to drift away from it from the beginning of the madness in 2020, and didn't regain any enthusiasm for about two years. Happily, 'we' won the league in 2023, so there was the incentive of a season of success to pull me back in as things improved, but the continued kneeling before kick-offs was difficult to put up with. It seemed to carry on at my club for longer than at others.
In the last year or so, the Current Thing has been subtly rolled back away from the game. The feeling of being psyopped has diminished. It's still there, but in a less intrusive way. I'm immune to it, and I would guess that the average football supporter pays no heed. Although the rough and ready feel of a football ground has significantly waned in the last 15-20 years, it isn't as though you're sat amidst a sea of Guardianistas.
Are there reasons to be positive about the game? I think there is one that's worth mentioning explicitly. Look at the crowds supporting teams from heavily 'multi-cultural' towns like Bradford, Luton, Leicester, Crystal Palace, West Ham etc. They're almost exclusively white. It does still bring us together, however much that might irk the authorities. Looking at the crowds at somewhere like Old Trafford means less as the audience at those places are effectively tourists, rather than dyed-in-the-wool football supporters. Look at real football and it's still there under all the corporate dressings.