With so much football on the television these days, and so many stories in the papers and on the news programs, you could be forgiven for thinking that we live and breathe the beautiful game, but are we obsessed?

This thought came to me during a week dominated by a story featuring John Terry. It appears not a day goes by now when we don’t hear something new about the case.

While we are on this subject, let me just put my views across. You may or may not have read my other article titled “Should John Terry be Stripped of England Captaincy?” In this article I express my concerns about taking the role of captaincy away from him, believing it will do more harm than good in the run up to the world cup. This is still my view, and will always be. John Terry may have done stupid things in his personal life, but it shouldn’t affect his right to be captain. I don’t know if we have anybody else who would suit this role in the way Terry does.

Having said this, it is clear that it is a topic of conversation at the moment. The FA Cup is also a strong talking point among friends, with the lesser-known teams making a name for themselves, and boosting their reputations.

Football seems to be on all the time now on the Television, and not just for those lucky enough to have Sky Television. The normal terrestrial channels are getting in on the act again now, as they did some years ago. I have to say, I for one am thrilled about this, as I could never have enough of football.

This particular game seems to have an effect on a lot of people, and can change people’s moods dramatically. One minute you can be jumping for the hills with delight as your favourite team pulls off a notable win, whereas other times you can be a miserable wreck if your team loses. I know the women in our household tend to leave the room and make themselves scarce if our team loses.

So are we taking it too far? Do we need to get this involved in a game in which a small leather ball is kicked about by 22 players?

In my opinion, it is the beautiful game, and is so much more than just kicking a ball about. It’s a chance to let off steam, a way to be filled with joy in an instant, a chance to gather with friends and family. It is also a chance to have a good day out to watch your team play, and a reason for people to get passionate about something. I don’t think there is anything wrong with that.

The people who choose to take things too far, those that use football as a reason for mindless violence and vandalism, are not supporters of the game at all. They have no interest in football, and only wish to cause suffering to others. They use football as a catalyst for this disruptive behavior. But for the majority of us, it’s about the winning, and the losing, and the unconditional support of our favourite team.

Football brings countries together in tournaments, and educates people about the country in which the tournament is being played. It brings tourism and money to places that don’t have much. It has the power to divide a nation, and the strength to pull people together.

For those who do not follow football, it is hard for them to understand how we can be so passionate about it, but for those who do follow football, it is simple. I see no harm in having something to look forward to each week, other than the weekend, and I will never waver in my love for the game.

So are we dominated by football? Most certainly. Is it a bad thing? Not at all. I’m quite sure the world would be a much more boring place if the game did not exist.