My tip this month is a little off the beaten path. Here it is. . .ready for it. . .Watch the World Cup. We Americans love our team sports. We invented baseball, football and basketball. Baseball is our “National Pastime” and football has become our National passion. But for the rest of the globe, there is one sport that is king. . .and it’s not even close.
Soccer, or as the rest of the world calls it, “Fútbol”, is the most popular sport on Earth. More people will watch the World Cup this year than any other event, bar none. The Super Bowl? Not even close. We’re talking over a billion people. What makes the World Cup so much fun is that it is not just a sporting event, but a celebration of nationalism on a scale that is rivaled only by the Olympics. And I dare say that even the Olympics lack the passion of the World Cup. The World Cup is Sports Nationalism on steroids.
I was lucky enough to attend the World Cup in Germany in 2006. (Some of you may have heard the telling of my misadventures in getting to Germany for that event. If you haven’t. . .well, let me just say it’s a great story.) I have such great memories of that experience. I was at a match between Argentina and Croatia where the Argentines sang songs the entire ninety minutes. I watched the U.S. play to a tie with Italy with the American fans being the more raucous by a considerable margin. While walking down the streets of Cologne, Germany, we could hear a banging drum coming down the street at us. As the sound got closer, we realized that it was a seven-piece band of Brazillians in full native regalia. Most every night we faced a dilemma. Since there were no air conditioning units in the German hotels we stayed at, we had to decide whether to keep the windows closed and cook inside our hotel room or open the windows so that we could be comfortable and put up with the deafening noise of the English fans singing outside until 5:00 am. Here is a sample of one of their favorite songs:
There were ten German Bombers in the Air.
There were ten German Bombers in the Air.
There were ten German Bombers, ten German Bombers, there were ten German Bombers in the Air.
But the RAF of England shot one down (shot one down).
But the RAF of England Shot one down (shot one down).
But the RAF of England, yes the RAF of England, yes the RAF of England shot one down.
There were nine German Bombers in the Air. . .
And so on. This went on literally all night. While it didn’t seem like it at the time, in retrospect, the whole experience (even the lack of sleep) was so much fun.
The World Cup starts Thursday, June 14th. The tournament will be held in Russia this year. The first match is at 11:00 am. There will be thirty-two (32) countries vying for the Championship. Unfortunately, the Americans did not qualify for the Tournament this year. If you are looking for someone else to root for, try reading THIS ARTICLE. If you do watch some matches, turn up the volume and listen to the crowd. I guarantee you will hear them singing joyously.
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Edited to add: This morning it was announced that the US, Canada and Mexico will host the Word Cup in 2026! That gives all of us 8 years to practice. 😉
Keairra McGuire
Customer Care Team
I would say when my immediate family takes up over two rows in a movie theater for any Marvel, DC, or Star Wars movie that comes out. 🙂
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I just started watching Game of Thrones. I know I am late to the party. Also, the show Sirens. It is about Siren Mermaids. It’s okay…
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