When Arsenal played Chelsea at the last Europa final, I was utterly disappointed as the goals came pouring in....but I soon switched emotions mode before the match endedd. When they lost in 2011 to Birmingham at the then Carling Cup final, I was utterly heartbroken. 2006 Champions league final saw an immature me......Over the years, Arsenal FC has given me mixture of pains and happiness; but I am grateful.

Going all the way as a football enthusiast, while viewing/watching a match and placing bets on same match is one hell of a full time job. Not easy, never will it be! But there seems to be social/philosophical benefits, or so I think....

I am a fan of stoicism, which teaches one to be indifferently tolerant of pain/disappointments etc. Not just a fan, I am also a die hard student of that great school of philosophy. I have learnt earlier that disappointment has a way of not just toughening you up, but also makes you grow up very soon in knowing how to handle ups and downs.

One of the worst thing that can happen to you as a sports fan is not just to have your favourite team lose, but also to lose the bet you placed on the team in the given fixture.

Sports is a school whether one believes it or not. In my hood where we have viewing centres, you find young boys ranging from adolescents to teenagers viewing football matches with the calmness of a full grown adult. This didn't happen in a day.

Those who are starting on football fan-dom can easily be noticed by how jittery they appear as their team coasts through some nervy moments. Not that the older ones do not occasionally feel the heat, but they have a way of spreading their minds on various outcomes and utilising that " whatever will be will be" spirit to give the self a softer landing come any outcome of the match

The point at which a new kid on the block of football (sports) fan-dom begins to rub minds with the older ones and endure jeerings and cheerings, while also dishing out same as the tables turn on their opponents, is the point the maturity has begun. In no distant time, the stoical spirit gets unleashed and you begin to readapt the lessons learnt to other areas of your life.

Not everyone is usually at home with this school. Some cann't stand being taunted, while some prefer to hear the results than watching things play out on the screen. Either side of the divide, I have found out that PRACTICAL PHILOSOPHY WITH A MAJOR IN STOICISM, IS ALWAYS THE TAKE HOME OF SUCH SPORTS FANS AND THEY ARE NATURALLY AHEAD IN DEALING WITH LIFE'S LEMONS!

So many of us here can resonate with what I am talking about. Not that this does not apply to other sports I chose only football and betting cos those two are my mainstay... How wonderful our societies will get, if/when we take life in our stride, not given to over reactions such as anger and suicidal thoughts.