Pericles.. did my 'snipe' meter just give a flick ? BB seems to have nibbled at your ankle there.. for the very thing I'm often being accused of :) Aah..all good things come to those patient enuf to wait.

See you back on 'interpreting'.... I should apply those principles to your contribution here.

'People who support footy clubs are losers who need to get a life' (paraphrase)

Interpretation "Pericles is superior" :)

They say "footy" is a virtual religion in Victoria.. and it seems from the comments that many are drawn to the 'collective identity' ..perhaps the one they lost when they abandoned Christ and such things as "where two or three are gathered in my name.. I am there in the midst of them"

Nah.. much more fun to scull a few cold ones,yell at the umpy, abuse the opposition, and ogle the chicks....

<<Today we live in an increasingly individualistic society in which the old communal ties of class, workplace, geographical proximity and religious affiliation have broken down.>>

I feel so blessed that I DON'T live in that world.. I have tribe, fellowship, love, and community...and most of all, hope. We are a culture within a culture, and our family extends world wide, across race, culture, language and colour.. There is no denominational barrier to beautiful fellowship with brothers and sisters in Christ.
The barriers if any are personality based.

<<But the forced demise of Fitzroy will always remain a stain upon the competition.>>

Such is life when a society abandons those values which formerly glued it together. .. "Time to say sorry" ? If they were sorry they would not have 'killed' the club...and after 'sorry' it will still be dead

Odd place to find you Boaz, but I guess any upturned milk crate will do when you have a sermon to deliver.

But you really shouldn't move too far from your comfort zone.

>>'interpreting'.... I should apply those principles to your contribution here.
'People who support footy clubs are losers who need to get a life' (paraphrase)<<

If that is what you took away from my post, then no wonder your interpretation thread went south in disarray.

My point - which even a cursory reading would reveal - was that society must be in a pretty bad way for - and don't forget, this is a quote from the article, not from me - for someone's football team to be "crucial to their sense of identity"

I confess that there was more than a slight sneer in my post, for which I am contrite, but I do not resile from the point I was making.

Not, Boaz, that "People who support footy clubs are losers who need to get a life".

But "People who rely on a football club for their sense of identity should get a life" - i.e., they should make a conscious effort to develop interests that do not rely on the antics of eighteen blokes on a paddock of a weekend.

For the record, when I lived in Melbourne I barracked for Collingwood, and regularly stood on the terraces at Vic Park. Since I have been in Sydney, I take my son to the Swans. We think Roos is a genius, are in awe of Big Bad Barry, and think Goodsie walks on water.

But we don't expend any real emotional energy on them when we're not actually at the SCG.

pericles, contrition noted.

in fact i agree, that "crucial to their sense of identity" is either overstating it, or a cause for concern, or both. probably both. but people do get enjoyment and meaning from their clubs. it's arbitrary meaning, but it's still meaning. if you stood on the terraces at victoria park then you know this is true.

the thing about the demise of fitzroy was it was so unnecessary and so calculated. and so thoroughly disrespectful of the meaning that the club did hold for its fans.