I watched a soccer match on TV Sunday morning between the Glasgow Rangers and Heart of Midlothian with my friend Mark, seen wearing a Rangers jersey in the photograph above, and learned how religion has become intertwined with soccer in Scotland. And no, Heart of Midlothian is not a team from the South Side Chicago suburb of Midlothian, but from Edinburgh, which I found mildly disappointing, but once again, I digress. I learned from Mark that soccer teams in Scotland were established as either Protestant or Catholic. The Rangers were originally a Protestant team, and its arch rival, Celtic F.C. were Catholic. They originally chose or rejected players depending on whether they were Catholic or Protestant, but no longer do so. However, many fans still identify with the teams based on religion, Rangers fans flying the Union Jack and Celtic fans flying the Irish flag. Lately, reflecting the current political strife, Ranger fans have been waving the Israeli flag, and Celtic fans the Palestinian. I knew about the tensions between Protestants and Catholics in Northern Ireland, but it was truly a surprise to learn that those same tensions exist in Scotland. You learn something new every day. And by the way, the Rangers beat Heart of Midlothian (from Edinburgh, not South Suburban Chicago) 3-1 at Hampden Park in Glasgow.
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