July 12--What It Means Over Here

So today is 12 July. To many or most of us in the States this simply another day, but being keenly aware of such things I felt the need to share what this day means to many natives of Scotland and Northern Ireland.

On July 12, 1690, William of Orange and his Protestant troops won the Battle of the Boyne, a victory which capped the Glorious Revolution and the restoration of a Protestant England. Today it is celebrated throughout the isles as Orangemen's Day--a day of parades and merrymaking.

However, these celebrations have a rather nasty tone to them. The centuries old conflict in Northern Ireland, seeing the death of thousands of people still lives on in many of these celebrations. While the festivities are seen by many to be more a festival celebrating Ulster heritage, these parades and festivals are seen as racist and inflamatory by most.

What's my connection to all of this? Well, despite the fact that I trace a good deal of my heritage to Scottish immigrants to Ireland and then the US, I am an adamant supporter of Glasgow Rangers, a club with a celebrated yet dark Protestant Heritage.

Whether it be singing sectarian tunes and matches, waving the Union Jack, or wearing bright orange shirts, many Rangers supporters continue to act as the vanguards of militant protestantism in Scotland. My question is whether this still has a place in modern sport.

Both the Scottish government, as well as both Rangers and Celtic, have made it a priority to shun sectarian activity in favor of more friendly, if still heated, rivalry. Many young fans may not even know why the two clubs hate each other so much, yet the hatred persists. Is such sectarianism necessary? Many angry fans argue that the government is too politically correct and that not recognizing this conflict is to disregard history and tradition. Maybe so, but can't we recognize the sources of such conflict and move past it?

This particular conflict in Glasgow's neighborhoods is less than 150 years old--stemming from a mass migration of Irish immigrants (mostly Catholic) to find jobs in Glasgow's shipyards during the Irish Potato Famine. Thus, as has happened time and time again throughout history, the resident population grew weary and resentful of these newcomers stealing all of their hard earned jobs. And since the division between these two groups was religious it soon spurned conflict.

As the Scottish national anthem notes, "those days are past now, and in the past they must remain." History is important. Yet we must learn from our past. I feel that recognizing the history surrounding 12 July is important but it is of equal importance to use it as an educational tool to aid future generations in reaching out and resolving these vast yet fordable differences. Sport is all about rivalry, but culture need not be as such.