In less than one month, the grandest tournament on the planet kicks off — the World Cup. It doesn't receive nearly the attention in this country as it does every place else on this planet, but if you take a couple of hours away from the middle of the baseball season, you might see what all the excitement is about.
I could try to come up with a formula to better help Americans as to why the World Cup enjoys such global popularity, but Andres Martinez already did, and he's way smarter than me, so I figure I'll just give you his:
"First, add the collective passion in this country for baseball, basketball, and football. Then multiply it by four (the Cup happens only every four years), and add the intensity of patriotic fervor unleashed by your average war."
It cannot be debated that the atmosphere at the World Cup is without doubt the most frenzied in any event, anywhere. One of the coolest moments in all of sports is when both teams take the field and lineup to hear their national anthems played. The players sing, the coaching staff sings, the crowd sings, all in unanimity, and then the process repeats itself for the other team. And after the anthems are completed, the crowd erupts with such electricity that the hair on the back of your neck stands up! A ball hasn't been kicked and there is so much excitement that the next 90 minutes almost doesn't compare!
Another intriguing aspect of the World Cup is the storylines. In 2002, defending champion France played their former colony, Senegal, in the opening game. Senegal had never played a game in the World Cup, but that didn't stop them from besting their former imperialists.
It sparked such emotions back home that Senegal declared it a national holiday. And this year, France will play former colony Togo in group play, while Angola will do the same with their former conquerors Portugal.
Argentina and England, two soccer giants, have clashed repeatedly in recent World Cups. The talent on both teams alone would make for great storylines, but it also doesn't hurt that they had a little bust-up over the Falkland Islands way back when.
The World Cup is the only venue that can offer these kinds of clashes. There is the Olympics, but the sports there are too regionalized. Everyone in the world plays soccer.
America's head coach, Bruce Arena, has stated that he knows there is such a thing called the World Series, but considering that only a half-dozen countries play the sport competently, he's not real sure if the title fits. But the World Cup, that is truly a global competition. No matter how financially superior France might be to Senegal, everything is even on the pitch.
Lastly, the talent. You may not get excited about soccer in the states, but with all due to respect to Major League Soccer, the product you see hear is equivalent to Triple-A, whereas the World Cup will represent pro-ball.
The display in Germany this summer will be astounding. Just watch a game with the Brazilian Ronaldinho and try not to enjoy his brilliance. Check out the Frenchman Thierry Henry for 90 minutes and see if you aren't the slightest bit impressed. These are players with the ability to take a casual sports observer who doesn't see the allure to soccer and make them understand how this sport captivates the world.
Ronaldinho and Henry will be on full display this Wednesday in the Champions League, and I encourage everyone to tune in @ 2:30 ET on ESPN2. That game will be a good indicator of what we can expect this summer, and what we can all enjoy together, as the rest of the world does.
Note: Stay tuned as Piet Van Leer brings you a multi-part series previewing the World Cup!
June 6, 2006
SHOJI:
I REALLY like the article. It really says much about world’s ‘football’, the sport of the planet. Americans shouldnt be excluded from the topic as I personally think they have a superb squad, better organized than in 2002. - Shoji, Tokyo Japan