#4: opium of the masses
When Marx said religion is the opium of the masses, he clearly forgot about football. Or no, maybe he was mis-interpreted. Football is religion almost all over the world.
Well, almost all over. This is my third World Cup in the US. In between, the men's team reached the quarter-finals ("elite eight" to some) in one and rose to a world ranking of #4, the women's team won their WC and came close in the Olympics. But sadly perceptions haven't changed much – among the public and in mainstream media. Men and women of all ages still troop out on weekends to play in recreational leagues, "soccer-moms/dads" take their kids to soccer games and skill camps. Yet I wonder, where and why does it fail to translate into sustained following for the game?
The whole world is celebrating this magical month of the "beautiful game" – from those who travelled to Germany to 1.2 billion arm-chair experts in a country ranked #137 in the world (guess which one). Countries come to a halt during the game, and that does not surprise me one bit. Crowds go delirious and a global carnival takes over. I have seen it .... in India, in England. My scouts in Quito and Accra say the same.
But here it's just a footnote at best – a passing mention in newspapers, and shunned by TV news stations. Granted that the US lost, and was undone by an atrocious penalty call .... but 16 of the 32 teams are still standing and still giving it all that they have. And everyone goes home a winner. That in itself is something worth cheering for.
It has it all. If you want a cinderalla story – there's Ghana and Australia; for David and Goliath – watch Ghana take on mighty Brazil; if you desire theatrics – just watch the Italians (Azzuris) dramatise every tumble; if you seek colour, just look at the flags, the jerseys and the paints on the faces; and if you want to see chokers succumb to the weight of hype – may I recommend England and/or Spain. Whatever you prefer, it's all there for 90 pulsating minutes in every game.
If only I could go door to door and get everyone just one potion of this intoxicating opium. I'd start with the media moguls first.
Well, almost all over. This is my third World Cup in the US. In between, the men's team reached the quarter-finals ("elite eight" to some) in one and rose to a world ranking of #4, the women's team won their WC and came close in the Olympics. But sadly perceptions haven't changed much – among the public and in mainstream media. Men and women of all ages still troop out on weekends to play in recreational leagues, "soccer-moms/dads" take their kids to soccer games and skill camps. Yet I wonder, where and why does it fail to translate into sustained following for the game?
The whole world is celebrating this magical month of the "beautiful game" – from those who travelled to Germany to 1.2 billion arm-chair experts in a country ranked #137 in the world (guess which one). Countries come to a halt during the game, and that does not surprise me one bit. Crowds go delirious and a global carnival takes over. I have seen it .... in India, in England. My scouts in Quito and Accra say the same.But here it's just a footnote at best – a passing mention in newspapers, and shunned by TV news stations. Granted that the US lost, and was undone by an atrocious penalty call .... but 16 of the 32 teams are still standing and still giving it all that they have. And everyone goes home a winner. That in itself is something worth cheering for.
It has it all. If you want a cinderalla story – there's Ghana and Australia; for David and Goliath – watch Ghana take on mighty Brazil; if you desire theatrics – just watch the Italians (Azzuris) dramatise every tumble; if you seek colour, just look at the flags, the jerseys and the paints on the faces; and if you want to see chokers succumb to the weight of hype – may I recommend England and/or Spain. Whatever you prefer, it's all there for 90 pulsating minutes in every game.If only I could go door to door and get everyone just one potion of this intoxicating opium. I'd start with the media moguls first.
Labels: sportif
1 Comments:
I agree. Italy is annoying - diving, spitting, elbowing, whining... and managing to squeak by. With the near-incompetent Ukraine up next, let's hope that the winner of Argentina-Germany throws down the shame on Italy.
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