Sport in Italy. A false god and a bridge to the Gospel
written by francesco schiano
In Italy, passion for sports is most felt during major international events. Throughout the year, however, attention focuses on soccer. No other sport occupies as much space in the news, in daily conversations and in the thoughts of Italians. Not to mention the economic interests that rotate around Serie A (Italy’s top league) teams.
In addition to the passion for one's own team, which in some cases becomes true idolatry, is the attention given to individual champions that characterises the worship of fans for this sport.
An extreme and very interesting case study is the relationship between Diego Armando Maradona and Napoli's fans - a spiritual and religious relationship. Suffice it to say that for many people born in Naples, 2020, the year of Covid, will be remembered above all as the year of the death of the greatest soccer player of all time.
I was born in Naples, 17 months after Maradona's arrival in the city, and I have no clear memory of the 7 years in which he wore the colors of my favorite team... Only one image, faded, in which I think I superimposed the triumph in the international UEFA Cup ('89) and the victory of the second Serie A championship ('90). It’s true that my father was a Napoli fan, but one of those who didn't really try too hard.
Yet even I grew up with the myth of Diego Armando Maradona. I have frequently encountered him in life: in the many Diego and Armando players of my age, whose names were chosen by parents who were already in love with the Argentine champion; in the matches between friends, every time someone held the ball between his feet too much and was punctually accused of "wanting to be Maradona"; in my album of stickers portraying the history of Naples; in the pictures, the murals, the statues and even in the shrines that have covered the city for 30 years. And then countless interviews, documentaries, films, countless videos with his feats...
In 2005 I was in the crowd that welcomed him back to Naples after 14 years of absence. I went to the stadium for Ciro Ferrara's farewell to soccer, a moment gifted to Maradona and his fans by his old teammate. I remember the ticket bought from a scalper a few minutes before the start of the event, I remember the stadium full of people and all the choruses for Diego.
It is incredible to think of the affection that, in the days following his death, was demonstrated towards this great champion, and it is extraordinary to notice how transversal it was. Friends, enemies, rivals, former teammates, journalists, fans, sportsmen, politicians, personalities of culture and entertainment. One has the impression that everyone wanted to say something.
One of the themes that has been most often taken up in the many things written about Maradona's life, and the admiration he has aroused, is certainly that of redemption.
Maradona redeemed himself from a poor and disadvantaged childhood, arriving on top of the world.
Maradona redeemed himself every time he fell down and got up again.
Maradona has redeemed Naples, a humiliated and denigrated city. With 2 championships he has solved the Southern Question (the Southern Question refers to the longstanding economic, political, social problems and disadvantages the South of Italy experiences).
Maradona has redeemed Argentina. With a single goal, the most beautiful ever scored, he has reversed the outcome of the Falklands war.
The protest of some, actually only a few, against the mythification of Diego has only multiplied the demonstration of affection and stimulated the spread of thousands of anecdotes about the generosity, sincerity and honesty of the hero of redemption.
Yet, it seems to have actually been the unbearable weight of his own hopes as those of others, the weight of redemption, that crushed Maradona.
In observing Maradona's life, though possibly not having yet detached to the point of being objective (something virtually unattainable for a fan), and still managing to take note of the beauty and variety of colors, emotions and feelings, aroused and expressed, actually highlights in a very unique way the human story, much more than a presumed essence of deity invoked by many. Human, all too human, we would say quoting the famous work by Nietzsche.
No man, no matter how extraordinary, can bear the load that was put on Diego's shoulders. No one can redeem without paying a price. This is true by definition, and no one could ever pay the price of redemption, be it his own or that of others, if not God alone. The great passion for a sportsman, and the story of his life, offer a unique image of what sport can represent for an Italian and at the same time they are a bridge to show that Jesus Christ is the only Redeemer in which men, including Maradona, might ever hope.
It is up to us to tell our friends that they can enjoy their memories related to the great Diego, that they can enjoy the beauty of the sport and the richness of its stories, but they must remember that even those who have reached the top of the world have remained beneath the heavens. And that He who is above them is the only one who can free them from injustice, defeat, and death, which in 2020 alone took away Diego Armando Maradona together with 55 million other human beings.