It all began in the winter, in
Australia. England’s cricket team were soundly beaten and lost the Ashes. Later
in the winter England’s rugby team were soundly beaten by Wales. England’s
football team failed to qualify from the group stages of the World Cup (in
common with Spain and Italy). Andy Murray failed to progress beyond the quarter
finals in defending his Wimbledon title. The cricket team’s woes have continued
at home and, according to the newspapers and the television reporters it is all
an unmitigated disaster. We must have someone to blame: the captain, the manager,
the commitment of the team or the individual. But it isn’t just an English
phenomenon. Look at the reaction to Brazil’s dramatic failure in the World Cup.
Why is it that people set so much
store by the success of their national teams, or representatives in individual
sports? What makes the media go into such in-depth analysis of what went wrong
when expectations are not met? And, in these days of instant response through
Twitter, what drives people to post insulting remarks about the sporting stars
whose failure has ‘let our nation down’?
In answer to those questions one
word comes to mind – escapism. At its most basic level it is a dissatisfaction
with our own lifestyles; an escape from boredom, or, as in the case of
countries like Brazil, blotting out for a few brief moments the abject poverty
in which significant proportions of the population still live. While there is
nothing wrong with identifying with the success of national representatives and
enjoying their moment as if it were our own, there are at least two problems
which emerge. First, the moment is only fleeting; the euphoria wears off and
the reality of our lives re-surfaces. Second, we, who have invested nothing in
the venture, have no right to make any claim on another’s success.
At the battle of Trafalgar it is
reported that Nelson said ‘England expects that every man will do his duty.’
Today England (in the form of the media and the myriads of swarming gnat-like
tweeters) expects that every sportsman or woman will win everything. So it’s
also about pride and arrogance, which is also a deflection from the human
condition. Is this the legacy of the Games which was so proudly announced in
2012? No, it is simply the legacy of a divided world, which despises the loser.
But there is another legacy – the
legacy of the Cross, which calls on all people to look and be healed; to draw
together in mutual support; to see value in all endeavour whatever the result.
God loves a loser, because without the unstinting efforts of many losers there
would never be a worthy winner.
Graham
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