is probably the most violent team sport in the world.
It is a traditional game from Florence, Italy, that has been around for many centuries, celebrated and respected.
The game is still played by men who train year round for the privilege to play two maybe three games. Many of them will not walk out of the game. Many will be injured. It looks like modern gladiator games. None get paid to play. Most play for pride and honor.
It seems irrational for men to play such a game and yet, if you listen to them talk passionately about their sport, you understand that behind the violence, there is a much stronger emotion that has been essential to our specie’s survival, a pro-social emotion that was historically an important thread in the fabric of our society : the pride that is born out of being part of a tribe.
We can critic the violent nature of this sport but we can also mourn this feeling that is disappearing in our society. The sense of belonging and loyalty to a tribe or team is vanishing from our culture. Nowadays, kids are loyal to Apple, Netflix, Instagram, Tik Tok and Amazon.
Watch Home Game on Neftlix:
Martin Pham Dinh 