on flags bedecking the highways and byways of this sceptered isle. During the 2006 World Cup, many journalists who had headed over to Germany shortly after SportsDirect let loose a seemingly limitless supply of St George’s Cross paraphernalia at home in England, remarked the distinct lack of German flags hanging from cars and windows on the host nation’s streets. Commentators noted that the Germans still remained uncomfortable in shows of overt nationalism and were prone to reject this form of “pop” patriotism as tacky. In a research paper published in the academic journal Political Psychology in 2003, authors Thomas Black and Peter Schmidt stated that a substantial proportion of Germans feel no pride in being German. Interestingly East Germans studied were more likely to link national pride with sporting success, replicating the emphasis that the GDR placed on sporting success as influencing national esteem.
of diverse British accents cheering on Andy in unison. Overall, however, sport tends to unite the Scots behind their own quest for nationhood rather than underline the strength of the Union. The Olympics Games in London has brought this issue prominently to the fore; with the Football Associations of Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland issuing grave warnings to their players about the dangers to their footballing sovereignty if Team GB proves to be a successful. Even more explicit than this was when the First minister of Scotland, Alex Salmond, suggested during the games in Beijing that Scottish athletes have the choice to wave the Saltire over the Union flag.
Wimbledon’s Murray Mount in June will be a cacophony of diverse British accents cheering on Andy in unison
While divisive as regards the UK, the Scottish antipathy towards the English in football is interesting politically. An article written for the journal Scottish Affairs in 1999 credited the success of the Yes vote in the referendum for a Scottish Parliament in 1998, in part, to the success of the national football team’s qualification for the World Cup in France. Similarly, there was speculation that, had Scotland managed to add another goal to Archie Gemmill’s famously mazy run against Holland in their final group match in Argentina in 1978, and thus qualified for the knockout stages, the outcome of the following year’s referendum on devolution would have been very different.
But the unexpected success of the German team in that tournament led to a startling outpouring of national elation and patriotism, accompanied by a deluge of the requisite car flags. As Germany basked in black, red and gold, then German President Horst Kohler remarked „For me this is something beautiful ... a sign that the country is increasingly returning to normal, that one can show uninhibited pride in your national flag and drape yourself in it.“ It was seen as a sign that a new generation was self-confident and happy about being German and that the shame associated with the Nazi past and the long period of partition that ensued, need no longer dampen patriotic tendencies.
In Rugby, the Scottish also indulge the old rivalry, but there are examples of how this sport has helped to bridge political divide. Balancing the politics of Ireland has not always been easy for the Irish Rugby Football Union, with unionist supporters from the North complaining about the tricolour’s prominence at home games and the pre-game anthem disputed at times, but there is pride in both nationalist and unionist communities that the team is above and beyond the centuries old political wrangling. Should the Irish team triumph in England in three years, there will be celebrations throughout the Emerald Isle, and on both sides of the political divide.
A nation’s sporting success can have an astonishing effect in terms of restoring or enhancing national pride. It’s a particularly heady cocktail when the success happens on home soil, with the eyes of the world transfixed. Some might baulk at this as a form of jingoism and also suggest that there are greater achievements that should stir patriotic fervour. And true enough, the feel good factor may not last much longer than it takes to clear away the confetti after the closing ceremony. One thing Britain could use right now, however, even just for one brief, shining moment, is something we can all cheer for.
The sunnier climes of Spain provide another fantastic example of how sporting success can unite a nation that has diverse regional identities. When Barcelona and Real Madrid lock horns, Catalonians and Castilians are at bitter enmity, but the Spanish national team has the ability to unite, particularly given their recent global superiority and the role played by Catalonians such as Xavi, Piqué, Fàbregas and Puyol.
DOMINIC WEEKS is a prolific football blogger. He is
One thing we can definitely expect this summer is a sea of Uni-
originally from England, but currently resides in the USA.
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