Today, football is often cheapened to individual talent and commoditized at the hands of capitalism. It has been transformed into a profitable business by means of entertainment. Overly praised and coddled players see themselves as gods despite the little enjoyment they bring to themselves or the supporters. Coaches also let themselves fall into the comfortable hands of the industry and concentrate on winning rather than entertaining. However, one of the greatest footballers the world has ever seen, the aptly named Socrates, had grasped the true soul of the game: "To win is not the most important thing, football is an art and should be about showing creativity. If Vincent van Gogh and Edgar Degas had known the level of recognition they were going to have, they would not have done the same. You have to enjoy doing the art and not think ‘will I win?'"
Given the fact that most Turkish football fans who claim that they love football actually just love winning, we all should ask this question: What we have done to this game? What does all this violence, corruption and fear have to do with such a game as this? Our ancestors started this game probably because they got bored and wanted to try something new and joyful. But how many of us, who are involved in football, try something new or joyful? Or have we ever tried to think about anything else but winning? The joy of playing as a team, cooperation and creativity... All of them are forgotten and the only thing matters is Cristiano Ronaldo's shampoo brand. We expect the biggest one to win and we breathe a deep sigh of relief when everything is the way it should be.
However, what happened to those inspiring stories and little details that make this game beautiful? Or in other words, did we lose the beauty in football? The level of Machiavellianism and ambition to win just makes footballers and coaches look like "the beast" in the famous movie. Fans, on the other hand, are completely focused on satisfying their ego and beating the opponent to their last breath. For sure, such a violent way of thinking is prompted by the constant exploitation of football by capitalism and clearly the media is their most useful tool to do this. Nevertheless, we have a new and bright page in Turkish sports and football media, a monthly magazine with a different sports perception and a great name, "Socrates."
Among the all unnecessary and hypnotizing topics that so-called football columnists argue, "Socrates" could be a meaningful stop for you and to be honest, we need it. Football especially was desperately yearning for such a new phase. Stadiums are empty, fixings scandals pop up and the people involved in football rarely speak sincerely. Well, I guess having Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Muhammad Ali, Marcelo Bielsa and etc. in the squad makes Socrates remarkably sincere. We all missed a story to inspire us or watched someone speaking the truth about football. So do yourself a favor next time you stop by a book store, read "Socrates," give your goals to a better football.
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