The World Cup (Copa Mundial) Soccer (Football) event happens
every four years. We follow it closely not because we are such great soccer
fans, maybe just a bit more than other Americans, but we do when the big
competition takes place…
There is a lot going on around the games besides its sports
aspect. There is the national pride, with the terrible disappointment of the
losers and joyous triumph of the winners. There are laws known to everyone, but
with endless interpretations; what is fair and what is not, who deserves a yellow
ticket and who abuses the rules, and the ever going debate on which group to
support, and which one not.
And then, there are the simple facts, like names of nations of
which we may not have heard, the shape and color of their flags, and their
geography and culture…
I wish it has occurred during school year to be used as valuable
teaching moments...
There is so much to learn… basic details of the teams and
whom do they represent, the hosting country, the star players. There are
immense related emotions, there are rules, the consequences of respecting the
rules, and the fall out of not respecting them, and above all the overview
conclusion that “It Is a Small World After All…”
This is the time when I am musing on how great would it be
if we could just direct our frustration, aggression, pride and nationalism into
just a game, where the regulations are clear to everyone, when the best team
wins, when in doubts we can check the facts on a slow motion TV screen, and even
when we still don’t agree we do respect the judgment of the experts…
There are small wins to celebrate even when the final scores
are not favorable, and there are small, embarrassing, loses even for the
winners…
And maybe the most important aspect of it all is that there is always
the next World Cup, where a loser can become a winner, even just in a small
way; winning a single game, or scoring one goal in a difficult match. And yes,
there is the ever existing possibility of winning the top trophy next time…
***
(Lesson to learn from Group 'F' of the World Cup 2018:
The team that won, won [Sweden],
The team that lost, won [Mexico],
The losers won [South Korea],
The winners lost [Germany]...)
