I don't know what it is about sports that get people so emotional all of a sudden. I'm sure psychologists would have a much better time explaining the mechanisms that go off inside our heads, but unfortunately my knowledge in the field is limited to Kant, Schopenhauer, and Freud. And I don't mean their work, but just their names.
Still, if you asked me, I'd say there's something that harks from way back in humankind's history when people used to watch other men fight for their lives in the Colosseum. The only difference now is that the lions have been replaced by another team of men, and the fight doesn't last until death. Even though the concept of "sudden death" is being used in soccer, probably in an attempt to add some drama.
And then there's another thing: supporting one team plays to our ancestral social needs, our innate desire for belonging to a group. It's something larger than just family - it's a tribe. You only really need to go to one game, and you might be hooked.
It doesn't even matter if your team wins, it's all about the atmosphere in the stands. It's like taking part in old rituals: there's chanting, there's dancing, there' a massive release of emotional energy that gets under your skin and can never be forgotten. More than that, it becomes addictive, and you'll soon be longing for it.
This applies to all sports where the public has an active role. It's more difficult in tennis since the rules regarding noise are quite strict, but just listen to those fans go during the short times they're allowed to let all the accumulated energy burst out. It's like an explosion. In fact, earlier this year an earthquake detection system in England said it recorded some activity each time the home team, Leicester FC, scored a goal in a home match at King Power Stadium.
Yes, we're talking about the European football, and that's because we're just four days away from the kickoff of the UEFA Euro 2016 championship. And we're not the only ones counting the days, apparently, as Hyundai - a Korean brand trying to gain even more awareness on the old continent - has released a two and a half minutes clip celebrating its involvement in the event. And it's good. It really is.
Actually, it's more than that: it's beautiful. It manages to catch that wonderful feeling about sports that manages to bring all kinds of people together. And congrats to whoever decided to use a little girl instead of a boy - that gives it an even greater punch.
Oh, and just in case you were wondering what it is that everybody in this video is humming (like some people do in the YouTube comments), it's Beethoven's Ode to Joy. Which also happens to be the EU's anthem.
"Boy meets car, boy loves car, boy gets journalism degree and starts job writing and editing at a car magazine" - 5/5. (Vlad Mitrache if he was a movie) Full profile
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