Football

What football team do I support? The closest I can get to answering this is to claim Newcastle or Man. United on behalf of avid supporters I happen to know for whom it is perfectly normal to say "we scored" or "my team". To be truthful I neither support any team of any sport nor can I quite comprehend the concept of doing so. Mind you, I have played football and even enjoyed it in between loosing concentration and hitting the ball the wrong way or becoming thoroughly bored, but I did it solely for the sake of the others.

And yet... "Football is associated with passion, emotion, excitement and dedication across Europe. References to extreme emotional experiences at football games characterised all aspects of discussions with fans – some referring to the 'pure joy' and exhilaration of being at football games. Such is the intensity of the experience that two thirds of fans have cried at football matches – mostly through joy, but occasionally because of despair."  (SIRC)

Doubtless that makes me odd (along with running barefoot), but I learnt to live with that accolade from an early age. But is it so different from me insisting that barefoot is the best way to run, yellow is my favourite colour or claiming that Bruckner's 8th is the best? Is it just that we all like to carve an identity, to try to define "me"?

Some find their identity in patriotism. I used to think that "the English are best" - as so cleverly caricatured by Flanders and Swann -

until I moved to Ireland and heard their side of the story. I still love the people of and places in England, but then I have come to love Ireland too and what could be better than to live within walking distance of forests, a lake, a  river you can swim in, and mountains?

So who am I?