Human Nature and Soccer
5 Aralık 2022
Umut İlhan Beyaztaş
From the beginning of humanity, people have had a natural tendency to kick an object when they are disappointed, bored, or angry about something. So, football has actually existed in human nature since the beginning of time, but it did not have a specific name or were not organized around specific rules. Different civilizations realized these feelings, and then they created new games played with feet in time. Since its emergence, football has shown itself in almost every geography, loved and cared for by the people. If we trace the history of football, we realize that the history of ball games played with the feet dates back to before Christ. However, there is no certainty as to when or where football originated. According to the article titled History of Modern Football (2017), the question of when and where football was first played is answered in China. The “caju” game played in BC China is stated as the oldest football-like game. Football has been played in different ways in different civilizations since the past; for example, the game played in China is called “Caju,” the game played in Japan is called “kameri,” and the game played in Australia is called “Marn Grrok.” These games also shed light on the culture of the society in which they are played.
Many reasons, such as preparation for war, relieving boredom, hunting, and competition, can be proposed for the creation of an activity like football (Erdoğan, 2017, p. 10). Such reasons have been in human nature since the beginning of time. Football has also found a place in human nature by its uniting effects. Considering these reasons, we can take two aspects of the idea that the football instinct has been in human nature since the beginning of time. Firstly, the materials necessary for playing football have already been given to us by nature. These materials do not require any process for playing; for example, in China, a ball was obtained by filling feathers or animal hair into the leather. When these materials are provided, only the act of hitting is sufficient to play football. When people are angry or bored, they want to get away from these moods by hitting something. In fact, the act of hitting is an action that is always with us, and football has been shaped around this action and kept up with us. As a result, maybe at the time, people started to get together and hit things, and then football appeared in different civilizations in various forms and under various names.
The second reason is the conditions required for human-nature interaction, such as preparation for war and religious rituals. Since the beginning of time, people have used various objects and played multiple games to defend themselves, to meet their own needs, or for certain rituals. Football also manifests itself here in various ways. Two thousand five hundred years ago in China, the emperor Huang-Ti asked the soldiers to kick the ball between two spears planted on the ground (Erdoğan, 2017, pp. 11-12). In this way, he aimed to help the soldiers gain agility. Again, in China, it is explained in some sources that “Tsu Chu,” the name of football at that time, was used in the physical training of soldiers. There are variations of the game, such as holding the ball without dropping it to give strength to the soldiers or attacking one player while trying to get the ball into the hole while other players attack him. As it can be understood from these examples, we can see that football is used for “defense,” which is an essential task of human nature. In addition, during the rituals found in human nature, football somehow took part in the activities. As we mentioned in the lesson, the Aztecs tried to pass a leather ball through the carved stones at both ends of the field. Their purpose in doing this was to represent the battle between day and night. As seen in the example, civilizations have added football to the things they have adopted.
When we consider these two ideas, the idea that the instinct of football has been in human nature since the beginning of time seems an acceptable idea. As we mentioned, hitting something is a common action for people, which is the basic concept that drives us to football. In addition, communication between the mentioned civilizations was impossible at that time, but civilizations added football to their own cultures, sometimes for the same purpose and sometimes for different purposes. If the instinct for football were not in human nature, it would not have appeared in such similar forms in different civilizations. Additionally, unlike other sports, football has become the most popular sport over time because people have seen themselves closer to it. As a result, contrary to opposing opinions, I think the instinct for football is an innate feeling in people.
References
- Cenikli A., Dalkılıç, M., Yiğit, E., & Bozkurt, V. (2017). Modern futbolun tarihi. Diyalektolog, 14.
- Erdoğan, İ. (2008). Futbol ve futbolu inceleme üzerine. İletişim Kuram ve Araştırma Dergisi, 26(2), 1-58.