A young Italian supporter sporting an outsized hat.
Thank God for the World Cup
Thank God for the visible evidence of the exuberance and national joy of the world's greatest sporting event.
I'm hooked big time and I don't care who wins it ~ I'm just feeding off the incredible excitement of players who are playing for their country and can feel their whole country rallying behind them.
For those of you Americans who don't understand the game I have some advice for you ~ just watch a World Cup game and you'll find yourself getting caught up in the wild excitement of the fans and the inspired and obviously moved players .
The Economist also calls it the " World's greatest sporting event " and offers this assessment :
"Football's power structure reflects a satisfying characteristic of the global game.Despite the undoubted prestige to be had by becoming champions of the world ~ it is extremely hard ~ if not impossible ~ for a determined and well resourced government to create a World Cup winning team.
As a result, every World Cup seems to throw up a team that suddenly clicks at the right time and beats a much-fancied opponent. Think of North Korea vanguishing Italy in 1966 or Senegal turning over France, the reigning champion, in 2002.
It is this capacity to surprise that helps make the World Cup such a gripping event. "
But there is another reason I am relishing this years World Cup ~ for it is indicative of my own evolvement from an ashamed and embarrassed American to a joyful and proud citizen of the world.
Ashamed of my countries capitulation to the isolated and dark side of ego consciousness ~ as manifested in the continuing lies and deceptions of the Cheney/Bush administration which has separated us from the goodwill and brotherhood of most nations.
Embarrassed by Bush's shameless photo Op journey to Iraq today to pose with the troops and utter his empty 9/11 justifications for his insane and illegal war and occupation of Iraq.
But the innocent joy, connectedness and excitement of that young Italian supporter with the outsized hat touches that same deep chord of innocent joy, connectedness and excitement deepest within myself ~ and reminds me that we are a world which will eventually grow beyond the Cheney/Bush mindset of power,greed and preemptive war ~ and we will then no longer be able to resist our universal urge to unite,cooperate and celebrate with one another.
Allen L Roland
