Soccer:a Passion to Die For?
@polaris77 (2040)
Bacau, Romania
June 27, 2012 10:46am CST
Soccer,the beautiful game so many people love because it gives us many happy moments and brings people together when major final tournaments are played,also has its dark aspects,and among them there are unfortunately even casualties.One of the most bizarre recent cases of a soccer-related death is that of a man from China who died of exhaustion after 11 consecutive sleepless nights of watching Euro 2012 matches:
http://www.businessinsider.com/chinese-euro-fan-dies-2012-6
While it is obvious that it is nobody's fault that the man was so desperate to watch the competition that he stayed up every night drinking and smoking a lot to resist in front of the TV due to the time-zone difference between Europe and China,this tragedy shows us that unfortunately too much passion for soccer or any other game can turn deadly if it makes us ignore our health,so I would like to ask for your opinions about this weird incident:If you had been in the Chinese man's shoes,desperate to watch a major soccer tournament live even at such late hours,would you be so passionate about that competition as to completely ignore the dangers to your health?
1 person likes this
5 responses
@diezmara22 (818)
• Indonesia
31 Jul 12
I love the game of football, let alone the Euro is an exciting competition and certainly shows the performance of the players who mengasikan. But between the time zone where I live and Europe are different, so here Euros playing in the evening. I never force if it is not strong to watch football, I sleep better just because there's the next news broadcast and repeated. If I push it like the Chinese it is a vain thing for me, instead of ignoring the achievement of health for the sake of prestige.
@polaris77 (2040)
• Bacau, Romania
31 Jul 12
I agree with you;football is exciting to watch but I don't think it's worth wasting nights and our health.
@marguicha (215808)
• Chile
29 Jun 12
I would not blame it on soccer. That sounds more like an addiction instead of a passion. I late husband loved soccer. In fact, he was a pro soccer player in our country and belonged to our nationel team for some years. Nevertheless, he never behaved like that after he stopped playing and his team pals (which are my friends until now) are not like that either. Games are not bad per se, it´s people who have troubles.
@ram_cv (16513)
• India
28 Jun 12
Wow!! His family can now sue Michel Platini for not being considerate of his wishes while arranging the show timings!! But on a serious note this is a really sad piece of news and I would say that the man must have been very passionate about a game in which his team was not even featuring!!
I myself had three sleepless nights on the trot and decided it is simply not worth it to stay up so late to watch the matches and switched to watching the re-runs in the evening next day.
Cheers!
Ram
@jkct02 (2874)
• Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia
27 Jun 12
I am just like what you described about that man, staying up every night when there were live football matches on TV. The first 2 Euro 2012 group matches were at 12am and 2.30am respectively. The final group match and quarter finals were at 2.45am. I watched them all but I didn't drink or smoke. A cup of coffee or two with some snacks sometimes. Most of the times I had just plain water. Match finished at 5am and slept till 8am, and then, 8.30am went to office. It was tiring but it is not the first time. After two restful nights, the semi-final is on again at 2.45am later.
Know yourself. Don't let your passion kill you.
@polaris77 (2040)
• Bacau, Romania
27 Jun 12
I'm glad to hear that you managed to watch all the games at Euro and at the same time took some precautions to protect your health.I think that it's absolutely necessary to take such measures that will allow us to enjoy watching the beautiful game in perfect safety.
@pjha1975 (214)
• India
27 Jun 12
Hi Polaris..
Yep.. Soccer is a beautiful game. I myself have been a victim of staying up late nights watching matches of huge tournaments like FIFA 2010 & EURO 2008. This year, I have not yet stayed up really late except on my weekend - Thursday night & Friday night...
When I read your discussion, I was totally shocked about that Chinese dude. This is actually a serious case of obsession. All of us know how popular & loved soccer/football is all over the world.. But, going to such an extent - its really messed up!!!! Lets hope people understand that soccer/football can be enjoyed without going to such an extreme!!!!
@polaris77 (2040)
• Bacau, Romania
27 Jun 12
Yes,it was an absolutely shocking case and I hope we as huge soccer fans will learn something from the poor Chinese's dude individual;after all,I'd rather watch a game in replay the next day than risk dying of exhaustion!It's not that difficult to enjoy the show without suffering extreme consequences,we just have to think a little and find the best solutions to enjoy the games without any problems.
