Another gorgeous day...
... especially if you're Brazilian.
Or if you're a Kiwi. I know it was a tie but seriously... The no. 1 team (Italy) against no. 78 (New Zealand) TIED?
My condolences to the descendants of the Roman Empire.
And my heartfelt congratulations to the new kids on the block who haven't participated in world cup soccer for the last 27 years, until now. What feels like a loss to Italy, felt like a win to New Zealand.
Like everything else, it's all relative.
Or paraphrasing the commentators "A team who basically only gets to practice against a bunch of guys from the Solomon Islands, just tied the no. 1 soccer team in the world... WOW..."
Wow indeed. Kudos to the underdog.
Ya gotta love world cup soccer. While numbers vary, it is believe that somewhere between 800 million and 1.1. billion watch the Fifa World Cup Soccer games. My boys swear it's 3 billion but actual numbers are impossible to verify. But I bet my soccer shoes they're right. (If I had any that is).
And I'm certain that like any good fishing story, those numbers will grow before it's actually over and somewhere, there will be proof that every man, woman, child, infant and fetus will have witnessed (or heard) a goal-induced scream celebrating either some team's victory or another's crushing defeat.
I know people who snub the winter olympics, but embrace world cup soccer as a religious holiday.
In fact, some countries - like Brazil - shut down so nobody has to miss a Brazilian game. That never happens with the Olympics. Here's part of an article from the online Brazil Global that describes just that:
Understanding why Brazil “stops” during the World Cup is understanding how Brazilians relate to pride and joy.
It might sound like a contradiction. A country that is a star among emerging economies, just about to leave the reductionist image of being the country of “samba and carnival” suddenly becomes exactly that.
Everything will stop.
Most (probably all) companies will allow staff to go home early today, when Brazil faces North Korea. Banks have permission from the central bank to close early on the days Brazil is playing, the currency market will operate on shortened hours, and most government agencies will shut down.
The economy will not be the same during these days. Televisions and beer have an extra boost while other segments will halt.
Okay, so we know that soccer is BIG. And that it's disproportionately popular in Brazil (and they have, arguable the most beloved team), but it's huge EVERYWHERE. So my question still remains...
Why soccer?
Why is it bigger than the Olympics? I know they both take place every four years, but with soccer there's less sports variety. So what gives?
The answer came from my own boys... and when I heard it, it was plain as day...
"Because anybody can play soccer. Even poor kids. But you have to be rich to play some of those other sports. I hate to say it, but some sports are elitist and we don't think that's fair. But not soccer, and not running. So those are the two we watch."
I get it now.
Soccer is an everyman sport. It's an every kid sport too. And with soccer, the possibility of super-star success crosses all socio-economic boundaries. You might play with a crappier ball and holes in your shoes (or barefeet for that matter) but if you have talent and you practice there's always the possibility...
HOPE. (noun, verb) def: the feeling that what is wanted can be had or that events will turn out for the best
So it's more than pride. Soccer is the embodiment of an even playing field. Like running. If you're fast, you're fast. And you don't need money to prove it.
That's what makes soccer special.
And everybody needs hope. Why? Because in the face of adversity, that's all anybody has.
And we need people that can prove to us that we didn't hope in vain so that maybe someday we too, will rise above our own circumstances.
And if that proof comes from an underdog?
Even better...
