Heroes? I don’t think so.

Crossed posts, GillT57!

Gilly, you are the football expert.

Not qualifying is losing in the qualifying rounds,

Qualifying is an achievement

Losing in the semi finals is losing .

The winners are the team which holds the cup.

The dictionary doesn't agree with you when .

There are different kinds of heros !

I am no football expert Annie I just enjoy watching it a lot.

I realised that gilly

Sad that it's all over..... until.....wait for it EURO 2020 !!! Yeah !

In the Oxford English Dictionary, one of the many definitions of hero is:

In a particular context: an individual or group lauded or admired by a specified person or group of people.

In the context of the World Cup, the English football squad are heroes to fans of English football.

So what was/is Saman Kunan?

Ooh-er, someone is very offended.... bloody hell, it's just a game.

Yes just a game played by extremely well paid professionals sportsmen.
I repeat the objection to hero in that context. You could so easily say 'star' or 'idol' instead to describe them.
I'm with katek on this one.

Jane very few of these players are well paid, most play for insignificant clubs unlike some of the Croatian team who work for premier league clubs such as Juventis and Real Madrid.

I am Scottish but I watched every game that these fellows played and I am really proud of their achievement considering they were not expected to do so well being so very inexperienced.

The heroes are those divers who put their lives on the line (one did die) to rescue those 12 boys and their coach from the caves at Chien Mai.

Monica Heroes indeed.
Putting the lives of others first.

Unfortunately those with zero interest in football have no choice but to hear about it!! - someone on the radio this morning said something about it having "stirred our collective soul" - phew! That's heavy stuff. My soul seems to remain unstirred!

Good grief Luckygirl, did you make yourself a cuppa whilst pondering on that , collective soul !

£200,000 per week is my idea of well paid Charleygirl! That's what that Harry Kane is paid for example. I can only assume that the other England players earn roughly similar amounts. The World Cup pay out for competing semi finalist teams is in the millions too. Madness!

OUP c.1962:
hero: man of superhuman strength, courage or ability;
illustrious warrior;
man of extraordinary bravery, fortitude or greatness of soul.

The English team played well and did much to restore decency and sportsmanship to football, but they are not, by older definitions, heroes.

Collins 1983:
hero: a man who is idealised for possessing superior qualities in any field.
This definition would seem to be used now.
(Pedant, moi?)

Just because it's written in a book doesn't make it true! 1962 and 1983 are not exactly bang up to date.
These people seem to have played well (and so they should, its their job to) and have cheered people up by doing so. That's it. They didn't experience danger or save lives. Football is just entertainment.

I guess they are sports heroes I suppose the word can be adapted to fit different situations Thry certainly aren’t heroes in the sense of rescuing a life but I guess they could be considered heroes in a more open sense

But sports heroes win surely

'just entertainment'. - we can't have that can we, people's lives being enhanced by entertainment!

By the way, of course the cave rescuers are hero's. The firefighters, Mountain Rescue, Woodland trust and other volunteers working tirelessly to contain the fires on our moorland are hero's.

that doesn't mean the word can't be used to describe young working class men who have 'entertained' so many and set good examples of behaviour, team playing and so on.

Could it be that because football is a traditionally working class sport, its 'hero's'. just aren't good enough?

Well surely it’s more about playing to the best of their ability and with dignity, being good losers and accepting defeat in a friendly manner without bitterness, doesnt that make more of a good sportsman than just winning

Sorry that was in reply to Anniebach your post hadn’t appeared Iam64 when I posted

That was unkind Iam, class has nothing to do with the making of a hero. Surely we can expect sportsmen/women to set a good example of behaviour or do you think young working class men are not capable of this