Why did the England players put medals on and then take them off?

[Opalfeet]

I'm intrigued 🤔

You're much more eloquent than me but I was thinking the same thing; reaching the final is an achievement in itself to be celebrated and recognised.

@Oblomov21

I agree they don't do it in other sports, eg Wimbledon.

The pain is probably more bearable at Wimbledon because even coming second gets them £1 million prize money!

It pisses me off that they did this because they got beaten fair and square and they set a bad example to others.

The men around here where I live have been behaving like animals the last few weeks. It has reached fever pitch. I do not appreciate being cat called out of their stupid cars by these losers.

Football culture isn't anything to be proud of in the Uk.

The pain is probably more bearable at Wimbledon because even coming second gets them £1 million prize money!

Oh, I didn't realise British footballers get paid a pittance, my mistake

not relevant to the discussion but I was impressed at the bravery of the young squad players who still stood up and tried, one of whom hadn't even set foot on the pitch until that point. What a truly shit memory of the night for him. Where were the older more experienced players?!! <

Rant over.

As you were.

@SugarbabyMilly

The pain is probably more bearable at Wimbledon because even coming second gets them £1 million prize money!

Oh, I didn't realise British footballers get paid a pittance, my mistake

They don't get paid for international games.

Fwiw I don't think we did badly at all compared to the last few major competitions. However all this " loosing graciously" is bollocks! To be at the top of your field in anything is all about being the absolute best! We need to stop telling kids " its all about taking part" if we ever expect to have football teams that dominate major tournaments in the future! The same goes for all sports! This is why the Americans dominate so many sports, they are taught not to lose! To come second is first place as a loser! The "inclusive" sports days that schools hold are instilling a mentality in young children that everyone wins!!! Its simply not the way it works.

Let us not forget the British Press who were happy to quite literally portray David Beckham with a noose around his neck for being sent off for England.

What player deserves that?

They aren't perfect players, they are young men who are often from fairly impoverished backgrounds. They are now multi-millionaires who undoubtedly have all sorts of personal conflict as a result of that.

And here are we, picking at their removal of a medal, critical to the last and expecting them to adhere to some standard we've set in our own minds.

At Wimbledon they play for themselves. These men were playing for their country
You can only really say that about the Olympics. When Andy Murray or, previously, Tim Henman, played tennis, the support and passion and sense of them playing for Britain was immense.

They don't get paid for international games. No, their paltry salaries have to compensate for that.

What relevance is their salary?

@lolacola77

Because they're spoilt shits and sore losers. It's very poor sportsmanship and they've really shown themselves up.

The black players especially are getting tons of abuse for losing and you expect them to be jubilant... or what? I'd be absolutely gutted as they are. They don't want to be reminded of the failure and subsequent vitriol.

Some of you need to to just imagine what it's actually like and take a seat.

You can only really say that about the Olympics. When Andy Murray or, previously, Tim Henman, played tennis, the support and passion and sense of them playing for Britain was immense

It's us that create that, for our own ends. It needn't be their motivation. I'm sure they like that added benefit, but they aren't playing for England or Scotland, they are playing for themselves.

@TheDinosaurMum

I disagree with people saying team sports and individual sports are not the same level at world class level.

Pretty sure Usain Bolt felt the same pressure, competitiveness as a football team going for a world record at the Olympics. With Billions of people watching him.

To an extent but he didn't have his entire team sitting on the sidelines depending on him. And I'm not sure the olympics is as hyped as major football tournaments which are very tense and heated unlike a 2 minute sprint.

No, their paltry salaries have to compensate for that.

What's your point, exactly?

Yes, they're all extremely well paid, in line with their market value as world class footballers. But playing for their country isn't about money. It's about winning, about making the country proud, about being in the history books. To lose in such a brutal way is going to be painful. The players - one of them a teenager - who missed the penalties are going to be haunted about that for years.

And you're tut-tutting over them removing their medals? Something almost all players would have done in the same circumstances?

Only people who don't care about football care about this.

I didn’t think this comment was bashing the team. I watched it, thought they did brilliantly and wondered why they took the medals off. It just seemed odd to me. Not bashing them, just wondered.

Feel sorry for the lads.

They lost in a harsh way and now they are disrespectful and sore losers for feeling gutted over it.

A national team, by definition represents a nation, and thus a nation is likely to rally behind them.

In the case of an individual sportsman, the nation is still likely to get behind them, but they aren't quite as representative of the nation. The nation would like an Englishman, or Scotsman to win, and in our minds, we like to think they represent our country but as an entity, they are individual. We can have multiple Brits in cycling, or tennis etc, but only one representative entity in a team competition.

If they'd kept them on, someone would criticise it as 'losing mentality, because they accept second place as ok'. They can't win! (ironic phrase innit?)

No, their paltry salaries have to compensate for that.
What's your point, exactly?
I was responding to someone who basically said football players have the right to be more upset at losing than tennis players at Wimbledon because of what the Wimbledon winner receives.

But playing for their country isn't about money. It's about winning, about making the country proud, about being in the history books. To lose in such a brutal way is going to be painful.
This is largely empty rhetoric. The same tactic deployed by much of the media, and (even more deplorably) populist politicians.

And you're tut-tutting over them removing their medals? Something almost all players would have done in the same circumstances?

We've kind of covered this. The fact that 'almost all players' do the same is very much part of the issue.

@VerticalHorizon

Yep. Criticized no matter what they do.

@IcedPurple I disagree entirely! Only people who have no meaningful achievement in their own lives hang such importance on a football team 'doing it for their country'.

If you want to feel proud of England, maybe take their lead and dedicate some time to a community project near you, or help out immigrants arriving in your neighbourhood whose kid might be the next Sterling?

But for sports people, wanting to win is entirely personal. Pulling on that shirt shows shows that they are better than everyone else, but don't kid yourself that they are doing it for you, not for them.

The expectation the rest of the country then heaps on their shoulders is just misplaced underachievement from their own lives.

By accepting a finalists medal with the grace and composure Henderson did, he's showing every one of us that it's ok to have reached the best we individually can, without needing to live vicariously through someone else's achievements! Most England supporters and our national media would do well to remember that.

We've kind of covered this. The fact that 'almost all players' do the same is very much part of the issue.

Your issue

The expectation the rest of the country then heaps on their shoulders is just misplaced underachievement from their own lives.

How do you then explain Geoff Hurst wanting England to succeed. He's a World Cup winner. What underachievement is he compensating for?

You're full of it.

[quote MeandT]@IcedPurple I disagree entirely! Only people who have no meaningful achievement in their own lives hang such importance on a football team 'doing it for their country'.

If you want to feel proud of England, maybe take their lead and dedicate some time to a community project near you, or help out immigrants arriving in your neighbourhood whose kid might be the next Sterling?

But for sports people, wanting to win is entirely personal. Pulling on that shirt shows shows that they are better than everyone else, but don't kid yourself that they are doing it for you, not for them.

The expectation the rest of the country then heaps on their shoulders is just misplaced underachievement from their own lives.

By accepting a finalists medal with the grace and composure Henderson did, he's showing every one of us that it's ok to have reached the best we individually can, without needing to live vicariously through someone else's achievements! Most England supporters and our national media would do well to remember that.[/quote]
Oh, do spare me the earnest lecture.

Have you considered a career in inane 'be your best you!' life coaching?

@LoopyGremlin

I’m Scottish. We were delighted we qualified and celebrated a draw. Coming second at the Euros would have been all our dreams come true and we would have loved the second place medals. Unfortunately we will never experience even getting through the group stages never mind getting to the finals.

Same here for Wales, we were so proud of the team and they did so well. I can guarantee should we have had a sniff of a medal those boys would have worn them with pride and brought them home.

I do feel sorry for England football team, they just can't do right from wrong.