Heroes? I don’t think so.

I wouldn’t want to find another word to define those who risk/give their lives for others. I think another word to define those who give people pride/enjoyment/excitement is needed.

I've hesitated to join this thread, but here goes.
I think the England team have lifted the spirits of the country and they deserve to applauded for their efforts and achievements. That they donate their fees to charity is especially noteworthy and laudable. Meanings of words change with time and usage and so it's no surprise that the use of the word 'hero' is also changing and in a sense that is inevitable.
However, what word do we then use for someone who makes sacrifices on behalf of others, who puts their own safety to one side for the greater good? If kicking a ball around is 'heroic' how can we then use the same word for someone who risks his/her life in a war zone or voluntarily enters a burning building to save others? What we need perhaps is a new word that describes selfless and sacrificial acts.
One of my sons-in-law was killed in Afghanistan, the other was recently awarded the Military Cross for acts of bravery that threatened his life; they are both heroes in the accepted sense. I would guess that selflessness and bravery are the hallmarks of traditional 'heroes', so what are the traits or attributes that denote 'heroism' in the context of football?

...Anyway, if you're massively paid for a job you adore (as I guess footballers are!), I don't see that you CAN be a hero. Heroes do things out of courage and self-sacifice, not motivated by ££ and celebrity. Although I totally acknowledge their contribution to the sport & entertainment of fans. (I watched the penalties and yes, it was great TV!)

Yes, absolutely. There are hobbies that merit world attention and investment and hours of TV - football! Olympics! - and other hobbies (just as passionate to the smaller numbers who do them) which are smiled at tolerantly (knitting! book clubs! metal detecting!) Perhaps the latter are slightly more useful than the former, but each to their own. But no, a world cup footballer is no more a 'hero' than a champion knitter!!

I'm not a follower of football and just see footballers as very overpaid sportsmen. There's certainly nothing at all heroic about them, herosim requires bravery beyond the normal and this is certainly not required in a football match.

Naturally their country are behind them, it’s what countries do is it not? I have no interest in football and my country isn’t playing but I hope England wins today.

I think they are hero's, they played their hearts out and got through to the semi final, magic, and don't even get me started on Gareth Southgate.

My real hero's are my husband, my dad and Winston Churchill but these young men deserve the title too for their behaviour on and off the field, for not retaliating when the violent Panama team and the equally violent Columbians were at their worse. C'mon lads most of your country are behind you and good luck in the match to decide who gets third position today.

Nobody said you couldn't enjoy it. The journalists just got carried away in their use of language.

I, for one (or two or three ...? according to this thread!) am very proud of our English Team. I'm not a fan of football generally, but did get swept away by the excitement of it all. Sadly, they ain't gonna 'bring it home'. But they acted like perfect gentlemen on the pitch - unlike some of those other cheating teams (pushing, shoving, hanging on, tripping up, knocking down, some of their opponents).

Yes, it's only a game of football. And these young men aren't 'heroes' in the true sense of the word. But they did really well, and we should be celebrating that!

There will always be horrible things going on in the world, but that doesn't mean that we can't be joyful for the happy things.

One of my Year 11s was allowed off school one day a week as a local Football League team had him signed up as an apprentice. It didn't do a lot for his exam results. They let him go before he was 18.

Not a footie fan but infected by the joy of it by sons. It was a good bit of fun in the sun for the country. We need more of that. They did well, according to bro, they are very average as a team, except for Harry Kane. I know nothing, but enjoyed it.

trisher -very well said.
I commented earlier that I wonder if the fact footballers are usually drawn from working class communities, results in some of the snobbery and anger directed at the salaries highly successful footballers are able to command.
Their shelf life is short and they're likely to have missed out on higher education if they've been good enough to be snapped up by the youth teams of well known clubs. If they're lucky, they'll earn a fair chunk for about 10 years so they need to invest, save and develop skills in other areas of work. Footie,like acting, modelling, art and so on, is an area of work where a very small number make a lot of money, the rest muddle through. A friend of ours played for a local team and managed to make additional cash by modelling. Neither the footie nor the modelling are going to make him enough to live on, so he runs a chip shop on the side.

Cold, critical, and and negative was uncalled for, sorry your team lost but getting nasty will not get them the cup.

Well said Iam64 !!

As far as the salaries go they are as entitled to them as the bankers are to theirs. Many of them are working class lads who have used their talent and worked hard to get where they are, and they still stand the chance of being unable to play if they have an injury. And fooballers have been knighted for years, no one remember Sir Stanley Matthews?

Can we let go the comparison between the England football team and the cave rescuers. It's a meaningless comparison. No one who supports the football team is criticising the cave rescuers, who ever would?
Those of us who enjoyed both the football and the way the team / manager have conducted themselves will never be persuaded to change our minds. Well done those lads.
As for the anti football brigade, they will remain stuck in their cold, critical, angry and negative view of football, its players and its supporters.
Over and Out.

From dictionary.com
personwho,intheopinionofothers,hasspecial achievements, abilities, or personalqualitiesandis regardedas arolemodelorideal

Coming 3rd or 4th out of 200+ countries in the world (yes I do believe almost every country plays football, though we are not certain if N Korea currently has a national team, though I think they used to), having the least experienced team out of the 32 in the Finals is a special achievement.
IMO in a world of negativity that is 2018, their real special achievement has been making people smile. Even in defeat, they made people smile, and made people proud. They have been role models.
IMO lots of people can be heroes from all different walks of life, it doesn't have to be a 'my hero is more worthy than your hero' thing, nor do we have a finite number of heroes.

I think there is far too much journalistic hype around the subject of football - even given that this is the World Cup and even I watched several of the matches - not being a football fan at all. It is wonderful to see the skill they demonstrate as well as some of the cheating! How sensible, modest, steady and humble has Gareth Southgate been in looking after his team and keeping them grounded. The crazy excitement generated amongst the fans surely must have raised the tension in these young men? It must create an unreal pressure- how on earth can this pressure be minimised? Otherwise I fear we will never win again.

I wouldn't call footballers 'courageous' 'noble' or 'outstanding' and certainly not worthy of a knighthood for heavens sake. It's a bag of wind after all!
NOW those cavers are ALL of those 3 qualities - they put their life on the line for people they didn't know and they themselves didn't know whether they would survive - and sadly one of them didn't. They are REAL heroes who did their job and quietly left.

I know very little about football and was interested to hear that the England team donate World Cup fees to charity.
I don’t really understand why people from Scotland, Wales and N Ireland are reluctant to support England (but I’m sure somebody will enlighten me!) - I’d support any home team against a non-home team, as I do in rugby. It gets more complicated when home teams play each other as I was born in NI, live in Scotland and am married to an Englishman!

totally agree Katek. The salaries are also a disgrace.

"a person who is admired for their courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities"

I think they are, thy were modest and unassuming, put us back on the map and gave their all, as a new team, to bring us a little bit of glory. I think the real test is that the made me fell proud and happy.

i am not a football fan but the team did well they are not Heros it's a mis use of the word like celebrity is mis used in a lot of cases to my mind a celebrity is someone who is known to most people but now people who appear on things like love island etc I for one couldn't name one .

Okay, maybe the wrong word...........but they did us proud, especially as a young team going out there. Well done, I say.

Just glad it's almost over and done with.