I went to watch a professional game of football this weekend. At one point in the middle of the game a 3 way collision unfolded in the corner below me. The ball, a guy in a red shirt and a guy in a grey shirt all rapidly converged on a single nexus. For quite a few seconds these three objects were clearly set to crash together.
It happened and the red shirt ended up prone on the grass with head in hands, the grey shirt spiralled sideways and the ball escaped all harm. This was dangerous and would go on to have consequences for red and grey alike. The piece that interested me was only observable from the grandstand, rather than the couch with the TV at home. I was struck by the almost professional theatre of the following moments as well as the workplace curtesies that were on display. The ball moved away and most of the players continued the game, the closest players to the collision prepared for the combat ritual and one red shirt lay face down with doctors sprinting in. The post collision combat ritual began: the closest red grabbed the offending grey as it began to stand, hands up in recognition of wrongdoing. The red shook the grey to express displeasure at the contact and injury to their teammate. The next closest grey grabbed the red and shock it in retaliation for the retaliation. Finally, another red joined in and everyone shook everyone for a frantic 10 seconds. The game was still going on so all the shirts decided to go back and join in. The interesting piece was that they all kind of helped each other up. The offending grey pulled a red to its feet and gave it a respectful double pat on the butt. The grey then jogged over to the injured red, who was now up and walking off the field. They had a hug and a chat. Presumably a “sorry mate” and a “no worries mate” were exchanged. It was as though the grey didn’t want to return to the game before the red could be replaced. Meanwhile the game ragged across the field. The medical staff and the big red cleared the field, grey ran over to crash back into the action and the professionals all returned to work. It seems a very unique workplace out there. They are playing a game they love, which clearly engenders joy and fun, and also carries great risk of physical pain and injury. They are bound by a code of behaviour that requires them to fight, hurt and dump each other on to the ground and to also help each other up from the ground. People really, really care about what is happening out there, to their tribe, their brothers, their shirt colour. They then also move to the other coloured shirt sometimes at the end of the season. I wonder how confusing it is to live in the midst of such passion and profession within their game, the world, their job?
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AuthorHigh school teacher Archives
September 2023
CategoriesThemes |