A question of ....excess

Football. A great sport. A national sport for us brits. My order of preference. Formula 1, Boxing, Football, Darts, Snooker/Pool, and then everything else.

For most people, and I have asked this to many about which comes first in there life. And if you get a sensible answer then the result would be roughly as follows:

Partner/Spouse/Other-half/Ball and Chain, family and friends, work, hobbies/sport, everything else.

I would put myself in that particular way as well.

For some however, football or a sport, becomes the only thing in there life. I've watched a couple of good football movies but usually the ones that would suggest that they are more of a training manual for football violence more than anything else (Green Street, Football Factory, I.D). Just the other day I was asked if I want to see the Millwall and Gillingham game. If I am to retain my charming good looks then going to that game was a no no.

I am rambling a little here. My football team of choice is Liverpool and has been since I was a kid. I've never been to watch them. No opportunity and South London seems devoid of Liverpool fans. I prefer the comfort of a pub or living room with a few beers anyway.

So my point being that I fail to understand how any person can be so consumed by the beautiful game that the whole culture of football is rather like a rudder on a ship. Something that steers an individual through life. Work, family and friends are just an unfortunate consequence of life.

That phrase, "too much of a good thing...." Seems to ring true. Like eating too much bacon would give you a heart attack. Drinking too much booze will wreck your liver. Smoking too much will turn your lungs into raisins. And finally too much drugs like cocaine will make your nose drop off, or depending where you administer it, will make that body part drop off. Actually I think coke does a little more than that. Paranoia, mood swings, irritability. Hey! hang on. Doesn't that happen when any of the other things are suddenly absent from ones system? Not sure about the bacon though.

Just looking at that quick list, it seems that I could have chosen anyone of those topics. But I believe I have lectured on the woes of these substances before. Football seemed a more challenging prospect. For example, I have yet to understand how if Liverpool (the team I support) lost like they did last week, but yesterday results put us ahead of Arsenal again, would ruin my day......

I think the closest I have ever felt like that was Mika Hakkinen losing the world championship in 2000.