Connection & The World Cup

I’ve slowly been drawn into the World Cup. Which is amazing because I know nothing about football/soccer, and have never been one to watch sports. I was a competitive swimmer and I hardly even watch that.

But the TV has been on and it’s been playing in my house. My co-parent and I both work from home. The child is off school. And we had company. It was bound to happen that I would find myself stopping in mid stride to watch a ball being kicked around a field.

Or (more likely) be in the same room when said co-parent is watching, wearing the shirt of her favourite team, and alerting the whole neighbourhood to her feelings about the latest play. 

Where are my earplugs…

 World Cup Fever

But last night, I got the fever.

It was Paraguay vs Germany. 

I don’t know much about soccer/football but it seemed like this was a high contact game (compared to Morocco vs Netherlands which I saw a few minutes of after). It showed me the difference that personalities, expectations, and maybe team rivalries bring to the game. Kind of like anything in life…

Perhaps it was because I tuned in when the game was already in overtime, and the stakes were high. Or maybe (as I found out later) it was because it was the last chance to make it into the finals. 

I noticed that not only were we watching the game, we were also watching the fans that the camera people chose to show as they scanned the crowd. I was amazed by the matching t-shirts (and the number of matching t-shirts, and the way the matching t-shirts were all together in groups. Did the stadium plan that? Did it happen by accident? But I was even more intrigued by the face paint and tri-coloured wigs. Now that’s commitment! I saw old and young white-knuckling the railing, hugging, and holding their face in their hands. I saw laughter, and I saw tears.  

I also saw many people who didn’t “look” like we might expect them to, cheering for their team. Which is such a stellar reminder that we now live all over the world, and alongside the players who move to new countries and become football/soccer celebrities, we migrate to other countries for jobs, love, curiosity and to start new lives. The World Cup stadium is an exercise in setting aside cultural assumptions. And I love it!

But I digress.

Overtime didn’t produce a winner, so we moved to the penalty shootout (yes, I just looked that term up).  I found myself sitting at the edge of my seat, talking to the TV as if the players could hear me. And when the last nail-biting kick was made and the ball found its way into the German team’s net…. 

Well. Any neighbours not watching the game instantly knew something big had happened. There was cheering in our livingroom. Dancing. Broad grins as we watched the elation on the screen. It was, surprisingly, magical. Not just because the underdog won. But because the three of us experienced it together. (No small feat with a teenager!)

I don’t know how many times afterwards I said, “that was fun!”. And I meant it. 

Energy

This morning, that energy was still palpable. It caused me to ask (astounding!) about the Netherlands-Morocco game that I saw a few minutes of before I reminded myself I am not giving up sleep for the World Cup. 

The asking created another point of connection.

During a morning routine that otherwise involves very little talking and 3 bodies (2 of which are not morning-friendly) navigating space and trying to get out the door in time, there was a pause and an update. An enthusiastic update, I might add. The enthusiasm was catchy but I was purposefully left hanging after the second penalty shootout kick.

Which means now I am compelled to watch the replay. This is ridiculous to me because I know who won! It’s definitely not how I would ever have imagined starting my morning.

I suspect this "fever" I have caught may lead to a shared viewing this afternoon. And although I may wear my earplugs, because some of us are louder than others, we will undoubtedly be cheering - together.  A point of connection in a day that may otherwise have us each in our own spaces, doing our own thing.

The Question

So I'm curious of course: What is it about this large area of grass, a ball, and some people running around in pink cleats that brings people together so spectacularly?That has created this connection in our house?

Is it mutual interest?
Adrenalin?
Shared enjoyment?
Cheering for the same team?

Whatever it is, I'm curious to experience it some more. And to see if/how it spills over, and what the ripple effects may be....