We Are All Equal at the World Cup

Wow… What a poor showing by Uncle Sam’s soccer team yesterday. I was able to catch the second half of the game as I secreted myself to one of the TVs at my workplace during my lunch time. I was sitting in a crowd of eight or ten other people, a few of whom I knew, a few of whom I didn’t. Being the casual atmosphere of lunchtime and perhaps the fact that the U.S. was already trailing 2-0, a virtually insurmountable mountain in international soccer, people around me chatted and seemed to be relaxing as much as watching the U.S. get drubbed by the Czech Republic…

All except for the women sitting to my left who on 3 separate occasions got up to turn up the volume on the community television that was showing the game while glaring at all of the yappers around her. I assumed that she was just a big soccer fan (not that uncommon for a University campus) and more than a little sick of the incessant chatter that was around her. But as Tomas Rosicky chipped his second (the Czech’s 3^rd) goal over the shoulder of Kasey Keller it was clear that her intensity came from something else. As the ball rippled the twine to Keller’s rear she jumped to her feat raised her arms and began to cheer aloud… Her eyes brimmed with pride. She was relishing this opportunity to stand and cheer for her country amongst a bunch of Americans who are usually the ones cheering so loudly.

Growing up on the boarder of Viking and Packer country I am more than familiar with the uncomfortable feeling of my team losing in the presence of Packer fans who are as exited about having the opportunity to stick my nose in the Viking loss than they are for the Packer victory. But this was different. This women’s excitement seemed deeper than that. For her the Czech Republic not only defeating but annihilating the Yanks was vindication, justice being served on a country that speaks loudly and carries a ridiculously huge stick. Perhaps John McCain’s call to ban Iran for International Soccer due to their nuclear plans came to mind as an example (as it should have being that it is rediculously offensive). Read McCains account of this stupidity

This (presumably) Czech women was not rude to us American’s watching the game (or no ruder than we would have surely been in cheering for the Americans had the cleats been on the other foot) but her heart was overflowing with pride. Thus is the joy of international competition and particularly the world cup: it is an international stage in which anyone can win. It is a stage without superpowers, without nuclear weapons and without hegemony. For just 90 minutes yesterday we lived in that world and it was glorious. Sure the United States fell and may not make it out of the first round as a result, but we can rest assured that there will be another chance in four years and we will again have a chance for the Americans to cheer the way the Czech woman was. And remember, defeat makes victory all the more sweet. Remember Salt Lake City?