Why is it that we still celebrate national sport teams as demigods and cheer a bunch of guys (or gals) only because they come from the right part of a planet?

Slovenia was caught in a basketball euphoria when it looked for a while that it might actually win a medal. Personally, I have no beef with people playing it. I haven’t done it in a while, but I used to enjoy it a lot. I don’t mind people watching basketball or any other sport either. I rarely do, but I do recognize inherent drama and sometimes amazing display of mastery.

I also don’t mind cheering in general. We’ve all encountered individuals or teams, who exemplified rare qualities we admire and wished them best luck. I do find it a bit repulsive to cheer for a person or a team just because they come from the right town or a country.

It seems rather primitive to pick a side mainly because of nationality or locality; as if our nationality is itself a quality worthy of admiration and pride. They are our lot, our tribe, and that makes them better?

Is it then a wonder that after all this time and relative progress we still have so much troubles with each other? If intimate human relationships can’t survive feelings of personal superiority, how can it ever happen with nations?

I’ve always been attached to this place where I grew up and culture that shaped me to who I am today and I can’t imagine giving it up. But long gone are days when I felt the same about my nationality and I’d be ashamed if they came back.