Sport, as we know, is one of the rare areas in which the sense of the epic manages to survive. Indeed more. It manages to return to always renewed, vital blooms. In the myth of the solitary champion constantly struggling with his own limits and in the choral and poetic narration of the team spirit, of the cohesive and loyal group. Sport, with the harmonious synergy of theory and practice and of thought and movement that characterizes it, speaks for itself. He feeds his own legend by mixing with the personal memories of those who always, faithfully, ardently follow him. The most common example, that of football. Among his admirers, each one ties to something very precise and unmistakable what touched him most, the year of that championship, the evening of that final … Indelible milestones of the fan’s personal Bildungsroman: it was raining, it was a beautiful day , we were no longer hoping, the game was decided in the first few minutes, that infinite wait in which it seemed that the result would no longer be unlocked… Moments that are fixed in the memory full of details that naturally, instinctively, are covered with meanings. They become signs. Good omens. Bad forebodings. Because, you know, the mind works. And even after many years, few, many or very many, he rewrites, re-reads. It provides new interpretations, operates different decodings. Immediately, while the sporting event is taking place, those who attend it swing between the lure of illusion and the fear of defeat. Or he speculates on the desired result and feels almost sure of getting it, almost. However, he seeks and finds good practical foundations to support an optimistic vision and to those he trusts: the quality of a solidly built team, endowed with a spirit of self-denial, mutual generosity, able to pursue a common goal that never goes out of focus and does not tarnish.
All this also has an aesthetic dimension. Football knows how to create beauty, an added reason to captivate and excite. To say one of the many reasons for affection for one’s team: that action that would be believed impossible even to think and instead, in spite of everything, even the most predictable and coherent sentence of the goddess of reason, is seen unfolding on the field in presence or through the screen aquarium. A magical chain of flawless gestures, perfect choreography of the improbable that has come true here and now and perhaps leads to the net of advantage. The exultation, when this happens, always conceals a slight tinge of disbelief. Just an aftertaste. The child amazement that is perhaps the greatest joy that football can transmit immediately. Over time, then, everything that has to do with football becomes current in the story that is made of it. The stamps dedicated to this sport on display at the Central Post Office of Naples make it clear that even a small rectangle of light paper, an object of meticulous and dedicated collectibles, generates in those who know how to appreciate it an attention of no less importance than that which dominates in sports enterprises. Discussions between experts are ignited on the subject, knowledge is confronted that reveal devotion similar to those that flare up about a football match. Like sport in general and football in particular, philately brings with it a forest of stories to which it dedicates application and study.
“The world of football in postage stamps” is a particularly interesting initiative. He deals with football by documenting it. Open from 19 June in the “Spazio Filatelia” of the Central Post Office of Naples, it is organized by Adriana Riccio, president of the Parthenopean Philatelic Numismatic Association, in collaboration with the Italian Post Office. It therefore results from a truly happy synergy. A marriage of passions that allows, among other things, to relive portions of history, looking at it through the facts of sport. The occasion in fact allows the sporting past to present itself in its intertwining with events, including rare and precious pieces and authentic gems, a delight for the connoisseur and a fascinating discovery for the curious neophyte. Something in particular immediately catches the eye and it is to be believed that it will undoubtedly be noticed: it is one of the first examples of a football player image dating back to the 4th century BC on a Greek coin. A myth, therefore, which can be acknowledged thanks to the precious testimony of a coin. From here, the overcoming of temporal schemes is done: remote races and immortal champions are introduced into current events. And immediately, in an ideal embrace, a language that moves from the past to today. History of art that becomes applied art. And a suggestive sound phantom, all to be imagined, of the enthusiasm that perhaps accompanied the exploits of this athlete shown in the tiny portrait on the coin. In short, life that comes back to life.
A volume dedicated to 18th century Florentine football also shines in the exhibition. Its pages, as they say to give a corresponding definition, are “richly illustrated”. And they contain new voices and new hustle and bustle, traces of heated fans. Other forms of art in the shadow of Brunelleschi and Botticelli… But that’s not enough. Equally worthy of appreciation are the famous English CAPS of the 1800s, the medals for participation in the world cup, the autographs of all world champions from 1930 to the present day. A feast of dreams. Of course, in many cases these are realities distant from our present, which are not immediately associated with today’s football and at first glance they would say detached from it. In essence, however, they form the solid basis. The vein of continuity is perceptible: it is divided into numerous forms which, although they may vary, still flow quickly into the great game that still and always continues. And every day he is reborn punctually in the races made by children following a ball with the firm goal of kicking it, already feeling prodigious goalscorers. Ancient hope that does not age. Always young like the whole world of sport, the special world of football manages to offer the most diverse proofs of itself. Fascinating. As confirmed by the current exhibition at the Central Post Office of Naples.