World Cup Commentary

During Germany 2006, NY Coed Blog will continue to provide links to the stories that are making the headlines. In addition, we will also be articulating our response to the tournament and the drama that is sure to unfold.

In the first of this series, SM comes down with World Cup Fever...

There's the anxiety and the excitement knotted with dread. It's where irrational optimism clashes with fatalism but is overcome by blinding faith. As the days tick by and the tournament approaches, I'm coming down with my first bout of World Cup fever. And no one ever told me it would be like this.

The recent television commercials are only intensifying the symptoms. If you've seen the Team USA Gatorade advertisement, or the ESPN spot with a voiceover from Bono, perhaps you'll understand.

Both illustrate the pull of the game and why it is celebrated from Corona Park, Queens to the townships of South Africa. It is not simply a universal language. It is the one mass world religion where eleven gods are worshipped for their use of a ball and disciples seek to emulate on every grassy, dusty, and gravel patch of the globe. Soccer unifies, nurtures, heals and enables us to escape – if only for 90 minutes.

The game, however, can often be divisive. It's nationalism, regionalism, tribalism, and sectarianism. It's about identity - mine and yours. It can feed misunderstanding, encourage hatred and re-open wounds of the past. But despite – or even because of – the history, the politics and the differences, soccer remains the most intoxicating of cocktails.

When the World Cup kicks off in Germany on June 9th, all that will matter is how 22 men negotiate their way around a marked field with the simple objective of placing that ball between two goalposts. For 90 minutes, it won't be history, politics or religion that will decide the outcome. In the end, it will come down to guts, selflessness, courage, skill, and possibly, just a little luck.

The World Cup 2006 brought to you by NY Coed Soccer. Kind of...

To watch the Team USA Gatorade Ad:  Team USA

To view the ESPN Bono Ad, enter:  ESPN

[Note: The ad this posting refers to is 'Anthem'...]