The Blogfathers

I’m spending the next two weeks with the family on holy ground. Not Mecca or Jerusalem. Germany, or Deutschland as it’s called here. This country is not holy, far from, but something very special is taking place here right now. It’s the largest sporting event in the world and a tournament which affects the mood of a whole country. I’m of course talking about World Cup in soccer. Or football as they say here in Europe. I’m not a huge soccer fan or someone who spends lots of time watching sports but it’s difficult not to be caught up in the amazing spirit a World Cup tournament brings. Very few countries on earth are more soccer crazy than the Germans so this is the perfect place for this tournament which offers tremendous excitement and fans from around the world gather to party and support their country.  The tournament is played every four years and outshines the Olympic Games by a factor of ten.

Soccer is a small sport in the U.S but it’s getting bigger and the national team no longer sucks. Twenty years ago the team was an embarrassment but now score a good win every now and then. There is no tradition of soccer in the country so I think it’s pretty amazing how well things have progressed since people started playing seriously. For many Americans it’s difficult to understand how big this sport is. It’s by far the largest sport in the world and it’s played seriously by most countries on earth. There are some very large sporting events in the U.S but they look tiny in comparison to the World Cup. World Series, NBA playoffs, Super Bowl, or Stanley Cup are great events but look like kindergarten picnics in comparison. A large event doesn’t necessarily have to be great but there seem some magical spirit associated with this tournament. I usually find the game way to slow and can’t stand to watch any regular season games. Highlights are alright but watching a full 90 minutes without any goals can be incredibly boring. But the round robin part of the tournament is now almost over and the real competition is about to begin. From now on it’s win or disappear. Most countries around the world will come to a complete stop when their country is playing and the whole population keeps praying to the football God.

Comparing religion to football is perhaps not fair. For hundreds of millions, perhaps billions, religion means very little in comparison to football. Hard to imagine, and arguably not a very healthy attitude, but that’s reality. Children and family place a distant third for many whenever football is mentioned. This is somewhat of a problem over here in Europe and South America. Children and adults too, get very caught up in the sport and want to use every free minute to play or watch. Everything centers around the sport and all idols are sport stars. Most children want to become the next Beckham or Ronaldo and it is very difficult to keep people interested in important issues like education.

Last night I went downtown to the small town Gelsenkirchen to support my wife’s country, Mexico, in their match against Portugal. Very few Mexicans visit Germany but as we strolled down the street with the stroller dressed in Mexican football jerseys we were met by incredibly happy Mexican fans. Not just a few, thousands of cheering fans. Part of the little town had been transformed to a little Mexico and every other person was swinging a Corona and wearing a sombrero. It was an amazing show of national support. On Saturday, my country Sweden is playing against the host nation Germany which promises to be an unbelievable event. The loser is out and the tension can be felt in the air. Tens of thousands of Swedes are down here with their whole family decked out in Viking hats and painted faces. The only thing missing from this great event is an exciting commentator from South America. I’m sure you’ve heard their legendary excitement as their team scores and they scream Goooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooool!!!!!!!!!!!

If you ever have the chance to visit a World Cup soccer tournament, don’t miss it. I promise you’ll never regret it.

Sport, Locations