Modern Tribalism

I'm being reminded on a daily basis of the provenance of the word 'fan'; that it is a contraction of 'fanatic.'

When did the process of being a soccer supporter cross over from a hobbyist activity to being a religious pursuit? The soccer-related comments I read and hear every day are reminiscent of right-wing fundamentalist religious utterances.

Part of the problem is that there is now a re-learned behaviour amongst large sections of the soccer fanatic fraternity; that extreme anger and overt violence are acceptable reactions to disappointment. Parents and educational institutions spend years trying to massage that exact behaviour out of children in the first place.


I am strongly of the opinion that soccer supporting has become a negative force in the group psyche and that the entire subculture - taken as an organic whole - is bad for society.