Football, Rugby, Wales and Me

A personal look at how sport, nationality and politics intertwine

Y. Chwyldro
Alternative Perspectives
21 min readFeb 27, 2020

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Images of Gareth Bale and Alun Wyn Jones taken from here and here

I’ve always been patriotic. Today, it’s mostly evident in my politics. I want my country governed not in the interests of the rich, but of its citizens and for the wider benefit of humanity and the planet as a whole. I want to see an independent, internationalist, green, multilingual, community-focused, socialist, republic of Wales. I’m not asking for much, I know.

Growing up, however, I understood little about how my country was run (which of course was no accident.) So, like many people, sport was the medium through which I channelled my patriotism.

Patriotism can be a dangerous thing when attached to feelings of superiority, but can be a force for good when linked to something positive. It isn’t always easy, however, to make the connections. The overheard mutterings of adults told me that being Welsh was something to be proud of; we were good people, who cared about one another. Living in the valleys I knew I came from mining stock, but understood little of the history that came with it. School and media taught me nothing of our place in the struggle for equality. I’d never heard of the Chartists and knew nothing of the Merthyr Uprising, or that a Welshman had been instrumental in the formation of the NHS, despite growing up in an…

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Y. Chwyldro
Alternative Perspectives

Politically Left, parent, Welsh. Writes about any combination of the three, and occasionally other subjects entirely. leftwingdad.com