Existentialist philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre suggested that the world was divided into beings in themselves (en-soi) and beings for themselves (pour-soi). En-soi relates to inanimate and unconscious features of the material world such as rocks, trees and chairs, whilst pour-soi relates to self-aware reflective human beings who are conscious of their separation from this insentient world. For Sartre, to combine the solidity and permanence of the en-soi with the conscious reflection of the pour-soi would be to attain the ultimate state of being.
Through social encounters, humans endeavour to assert themselves as pour-soi by objectifying others and converting them into en-soi. We view others as products of circumstances and social pressures whilst claiming that our own actions are free and purposeful. Sporting contests are an example of a person, or team of people, setting out to assert their dominance over others. Mastery over an opponent is an example of establishing the status of pour-soi, the active and potent, whilst converting the opponent into the en-soi, an inert powerless mass.
Players belonging to a football team that is in control of a match will feel as though the game is being guided by their conscious intent (pour-soi). Members of the side which is being defeated will feel as though they comprise an inanimate object (en-soi), as the pour-soi controls the on-pitch activity around them. The pour-soi can be realised via attacking dominance, which reduces the opposition to helpless spectators – for example, Brazil have tended to adopt this approach. Or it can be realised via defensive dominance, which undermines then immobilizes the opposing side which is trying to contrive forward moves – teams such as Italy have been associated with this strategy.
However, Sartre also highlights that the pour-soi to some extent crave the solidity and permanence of the en-soi from which they are separate. The pour-soi can only be transparent and fleeting. A team which is controlling a game will still be aware that the mastery of the opponent is based on their conscious human qualities: qualities which are unstable and empty. If the pour-soi become infected with doubt, due to the conscious realisation that their dominance is illusory, they may become immersed in the viscosity of the en-soi. The formerly en-soi team will then be provided with the opportunity to gain a foothold as they feel their own conscious endeavour starting to shape the game, and this could convert them from en-soi to pour-soi, whilst turning the pour-soi into en-soi. Football, like life, is a process defined by the oscillations that arise from competing aspirations to pour-soi status.
The ultimate football team would be a perfect balance of en-soi and pour-soi qualities. Conscious intent and freedom of expression would enable mastery over the opponent; but the arising structure would also attain impenetrability and permanence. The bonding of en-soi and pour-soi would create the ultimate expression of football, as the reflective being for-itself melds with the enduring being in-itself. Let’s hope someone tells Fabio Capello.