PRO #3: Love for sports

Ok, this one does not have to do much with me, since I don't really follow sport events these days, it is just the thing that stands out and often comes to mind when talking about Serbs - our apparent love for sports. Main reason why I've put this under pros, is because sometimes it can really unite us and spread so much positive energy.

The biggest representative and individual sport successes are almost always celebrated in the streets and squares throughout the country and athletes are traditionally welcomed by a crowd of people in front of the Parliament in Belgrade.

Here people generally appreciate sports a lot, especially football and basketball and you will often see dedicated kids training some of these sports from the very young age.

Welcoming of the athletes in front of the Parliament

We also have (if I may say) a glorious history in these sports (back from the time when we were still Yugoslavia). Here are some basketball facts for those of you who are not already familiar: Yugoslavia was considered the second super power in international basketball, just behind the United States. At the European championships in basketball, Yugoslavia won the gold medal five times (1973, 1975, 1977, 1989, 1991) and at the world championships in basketball, three gold medals (1970, 1978, 1990). Maybe it seems silly to you, but we still take great pride in all this after all these years. And then again in 2002. (when Yugoslavia consisted only of Serbia and Montenegro) we won another gold medal and once again were world champions in basketball. And then again in.. Ok, I got you, that's all! But maybe one day it will happen again who knows. We're still alive and kicking, watch out!

We have also won many important medals in other sports such as water polo, volleyball, handball, tennis... Most recent being that of young serbian football tearm 'Orlići', who won the World Championship last year. And probably one more victory by our tennis player Novak Djokovic or something, I can't keep up with this guy... He has been at the very top of the game for many years now and is probably our most famous athlete.

The Yugoslav basketball team with the title of world champion in 1990.

So if you happen to be a sports fan, you'll love Serbia and you'll have plenty of what to talk with people. The only negative thing in all this is that there is certain rivalship mostly between supporters of different serbian footbal teams and they can really cross the limits sometimes, fight, and cause riots and even end up killing each other. But that is not what sport is about, they're all empty-headed fools, who give football fans a bad name.

Nowadays, you cannot see kids playing outside that much, since technology kind of took over their free time, but in my time (childhood), we were all about playing outside, running, riding bikes, getting ourselves hurt and shedding a few tears ahah... Memories! I myself, even went to some sport competitions (high jump), during my primary school. And many of my friends from class were also good at sports and quite a competition to beat when we were having our annual school marathons. I remember wanting to train athletics at the time, but I gave up, since it was a bit of an expense for my parents. But I still have this passion left in me.

Childhood: playing 'lastiš'

And although I do not keep track of the latest sport happenings, sometimes I too get carried away and watch a football or basketball match with my family and find myself in the situation where I'm shouting 'Go, Serbia, go!'. It's just this positive wave of energy that consumes you, and that's what happens to people here when they watch sport matches, it brings the best in them. Even it it's for a little while.