Sports & Play
Turkish Delight
If you are not a big fan of soccer, I would agree with you, the Euro and World Cup are nothing but an annoying nuance nuisance to the city. It all seems a little over the top when you don't care that much and to be honest, taking street cars, taxis or driving is a hassle, even when you think you're taking a short cut, you inevitably run into a pack of fans in one niched corner of the city blocking traffic and waving flags.
Fortunately I've experienced the other side of soccer in this city. Although I am not much a fan of the sport in and of itself, I am a fan of the fans of the sport. Sitting in a bar with even just a dozen of any exuberant fans is contagious, and I suddenly feel compelled to care. It really is one sign of the greatness of our city.
In 2006 I watched and photographed fans of every country in the World Cup cheering on their team. I took a much needed break for the Euro this year and I didn't follow the tournament at all. However one team kept winning despite all odds, and that team was Turkey.
And so, with cameras in tow, I decided to join the Turkish fans in Toronto for the semi-finals against Germany. I was far from disappointed. Despite the terrible television signal (that kept going in and out in the second half), it was a great match and Turkey was finally eliminated from the tournament after a series of historic come-back victories and one hell of a showing in the Euro 2008.
What was described to me as the largest Turkish flag (6x5 meters) in all of Canada was unfurled and draped over the entire front of the cafe Kara Altin during intermission.
Watching a game surrounded by huge Turkish fans is like traveling to a different part of the globe. There aren't many cities in the world that can boast a significant population of almost every country in the football playing world. Love or hate soccer, embracing it is one way to really love our city.
Photos by joseph.
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Mind you, everyone I talked to was more cheering against Italy then for Spain.... (can't speak for everyone else, but my roomie and I were still bitter over the word cup)...but it was a great time!
"Hooray! A team of athletes from my country beat a team of athletes from another country! This victory in a sports game is proof positive of the general superiority of my country in other areas.
Somehow, this victory is also such that I feel entitled to share in it. I must indicate to passers-by of my involvement by making loud noises, and by the display of my tribal regalia. When they see these flags and hear these noises, other people will then be aware of this important victory, and my deep and meaningful contribution to it."
Makes total sense.
I also noticed the Turkish flags and Canadian flags together with most cheering turks.
As for Frank above.
This is the worlds most popular sport, sometimes there is no need to over analyze ...
Sports events are a huge part of a thriving culture. It's an extension of warfare of a battle field except in this case it's done in a peaceful and civilized way. People by nature are competitive and cities and countries are brought together when they win at sporting events - just recall when Canada won the gold medal at the Olympics a number of years ago. The problem with Canadians often times is that they dismiss everything as non-important and the result of this is pure mediocrity. World class countries and cities have high standards and care about the details in everything from athletics, art and culture, smart politics and an overall awareness of how things are done. Celebrating a sports victory on a national level equates to a celebration of ones pride in the home country ? it's a tangible show of love and it should not be taken lightly. I think that the worst thing someone can do is not to give a shit about anything.
>Sports events are a huge part of a thriving culture.
I agree, a culture can include sports fanaticism. Just because it exists does not mean it is rational, nor that it needs to exist.
>It's an extension of warfare of a battle field except in this case it's done in a peaceful and civilized way.
Nationalism, like other fanaticism, can frequently be expressed in violent, uncivilized ways. For examples, look at any group of nationalist sports fans. Ask if their nationalism is steering them towards violent behavior, or away from it.
>People by nature are competitive and cities and countries are brought together when they win at sporting events - just recall when Canada won the gold medal at the Olympics a number of years ago.
Appealing to the mob is not rational. Mobs of any kind are not rational. It may feel good to be part of a mob, but that feeling has no bearing on the rationality of the mob itself.
>The problem with Canadians often times is that they dismiss everything as non-important and the result of this is pure mediocrity.
I don't know why you are singling out Canadians as the subject of that sentence, nor do I follow the reasoning. How does assessing the importance of an object lead to mediocrity? Mediocre what? Note that I did not identify as a Canadian, nor as any other nationality. If you are attempting a dig at my own nationality, then see my second point above.
>World class countries and cities have high standards and care about the details in everything from athletics, art and culture, smart politics and an overall awareness of how things are done.
I don't care about the same cultural details that you do. That has no bearing on the city or country of my residence. Nor does it bear on yours.
>Celebrating a sports victory on a national level equates to a celebration of ones pride in the home country ? it's a tangible show of love and it should not be taken lightly.
Your country of birth is an accident. The fact that you were born in a country has no bearing on the value of you or that country. And as I suggested in my first post, it is irrational to think that you, your country, or your choice of sports team are related in any rational way. You may enjoy the mob mentality, but I see it as counterproductive.
>I think that the worst thing someone can do is not to give a shit about anything.
You're not thinking hard enough.
But I don't appreciate the kind of aggressive, hateful nationalist chauvisnism I ran into last Friday in my neighbourhood, where a caravan of under-30 men in flags draped with Turkish flags cruised up and down the Danforth in Greektown hoking, shouting, and actively antagonizing people on the patios and sucessfully starting a street brawl that ended up drawing 5+ police cruisers to the scene. Watching people smash each other's heads into SUV windows is not my idea of wholesome multicultural Friday afternoon fun.
Your nationalism may be so ingrained you can't even see it.
Where did I identify my nationality? What logical connection is there between your classification of me, and my putative nationality?
What if I came from the same country as you?
Would that mean that you would be the same as me, since we're from the same country? Would you then invoke the "True Scotsman" fallacy, by then saying that "real representatives" of your country (like you, I'm presuming) have none of the negative qualities you ascribe to me?
I didn't say that I didn't appreciate joy or excitement for any reason. If you would look at the substance of what I wrote, I said no such thing.
I think you're doing more to prove the theory that nationalism is irrational, Scatterbrain, than not.
I can see the disdain for the football fans in Frank's argument and I can hardly blame him.
Perhaps we should have a curfew for celebrating fans in Toronto so that the rest of us can go about our lives without being disrupted by their honking horns and exuberant victory cries?
Why can't soccer fans in Toronto be content with their cheering in sports bars and private homes?
your comment was sarcastic (isn't sarcasm what pseudo-smart people use to prove to others they are smart?), and it seemed like you only wrote it to feed your own ego, to tell the world,"oh, I'm so smart I can see right through this non-sense, I must be better than them"
You are doing the exact same thing as what you were criticizing by advertising to the world that you are smarter (I doubt it) and therefore, you are better than those who are excited, happy and joyful about their home country's team winning. If you cant see and appreciate the joy in people's faces and are cynical even when it comes to joyful things such as these incidents, then you must be dead inside.
After all, what is wrong with a little joy and happiness that comes with a soccer game? its not a war in which people of one side get killed and people from the other side celebrate, that is what irrational nationalism is. this is hardly any nationalism, I'm not Spanish, but i was celebrating Spain's win over Italy with other people (who I m not even sure were Spanish) so where is the nationalism in that? I mean as long as they are not hurting anyone, what is wrong with using soccer as an excuse to be a little happy and joyful for a day? why should you be so dark and cynical to prove that you are smart?
>Your nationality was just a wild guess from my part, but I'm still sticking to it, why don't you prove me wrong and tell me you are not really 'Canadian' after all..
The burden of proof lies with the person making a claim. I made no claims as to my nationality. Your assumption remains an assumption. The argumentative technique of stating a proposition and then saying "prove me wrong" is illogical.
>...what is it to be a Canadian anyways?
I have no idea what you mean by this. It means one pays income tax in Canada, for starters.
>your comment was sarcastic (isn't sarcasm what pseudo-smart people use to prove to others they are smart?), and it seemed like you only wrote it to feed your own ego, to tell the world,"oh, I'm so smart I can see right through this non-sense, I must be better than them"
Epithets like "pseudo-smart," and suggesting that I'm "feeding my ego" attack the arguer, rather than the argument. I suggest you bend your attention to the substance of my arguments, Scatterbrain, rather than to how they make you feel.
>You are doing the exact same thing as what you were criticizing by advertising to the world that you are smarter (I doubt it) and therefore, you are better than those who are excited, happy and joyful about their home country's team winning.
It's not even remotely the same thing. I do not drive up and down my neighborhood with a large contingent of people who are smarter than you, honking my horn and waving a "I'm smarter than you" flag in everyone's face. I do not bring traffic to a halt with my enthusiastic displays of approval of the activities of a group of people who happen to come from my home nation. You appear to not understand the substance of my argument: nationalism is not rational. For you to condense my original argument into a parody of itself, and then point out the silliness of the parody is illogical.
>If you cant see and appreciate the joy in people's faces and are cynical even when it comes to joyful things such as these incidents, then you must be dead inside.
You're presupposing several things for which you lack evidence: my purported inability to see or appreciate joy, and my purported "deadness."
>After all, what is wrong with a little joy and happiness that comes with a soccer game? its not a war in which people of one side get killed and people from the other side celebrate, that is what irrational nationalism is. this is hardly any nationalism, I'm not Spanish, but i was celebrating Spain's win over Italy with other people (who I m not even sure were Spanish) so where is the nationalism in that? I mean as long as they are not hurting anyone, what is wrong with using soccer as an excuse to be a little happy and joyful for a day? why should you be so dark and cynical to prove that you are smart?
The joy and happiness is fine. The joy and happiness wrapped in a flag and sounded by honking horns is not fine.
It is possible for something to be irrational even if it doesn't kill anybody.
Your choice of supporting one country over another could have been arbitrary, agreed.
However is it also possible you were rooting for Italy to lose? Maybe because a team you previously supported was defeated by Italy in earlier rounds? Perhaps there is some sort of ancient enmity between the country you supported and Italy, so you were hoping they'd fail as punishment for defeating your country's team? I'm not suggesting this is the case, of course--but is it a possibility. That's where the nationalism would be.
Calling me names like "dark" or "cynical" does not advance your argument. It does highlight your failure to address the substance of my argument, though.
and I didn't care for either of the teams, I was just there to have a good time and laugh. I would've partied with the Italians if they won. my country's team wasn't even in the cup.
just loosen up man, and maybe as Dave suggested get laid and you wont even care about people celebrating after a soccer match lol trust me lol.
If there were clusters of 5 to 20 cars driving up and down a street with rainbow flags honking and screaming (rather than taking part in an actual event), I think that the same criticisms would apply to them as to celebrating soccer fans.