Nobody Hates Like A Neighbor:
Sectarianism in the Scottish Old Firm
Inside any football (soccer) stadium around the world, there exists an electric atmosphere unlike any other sporting event. Most grounds will be packed full of supporters week in and week out proudly following their club. They come bearing their clubs’ colors with replica kits, flags, and scarves hoping that their team will win the three points that will help them climb the league tables in search of a championship season. Chants and songs ring through the ground from both sides of supporters urging their team forward to victory. When the final whistle has blown, they slowly exit the stadium in either a state of jubilation or utter despair. For most supporters, football has transcended being merely a game. Indeed, in almost every country…show more content… In sixteenth century Scotland, the Church had an overwhelming presence in everyday life. “It was responsible for education, health, welfare, and discipline,” as well as being the “vehicle for expressing inner spirituality” (“The Reformation”). When Martin Luther’s protest finally reached Scottish shores, the Church became split into two sects: Catholic and Protestant. While the Catholic Church initially held a greater power over the smaller minority of Protestant followers, there was a feeling of change in the air as an “increasingly educated populace sought more personal forms of spiritual experience” (“The Reformation”) People were beginning to find Rome’s views archaic and sought to find a new doctrine of faith to follow. After Henry VIII broke away from the Catholic Church and converted England to a Protestant nation, James V, king of Scotland, briefly “flirted with Protestant ideas” in an attempt “to scare the Pope in granting him tax concessions” (“The Reformation”). Still, Scotland remained primarily a Catholic
