In the entire world of professional sports, across hundreds of pro leagues and into the depths of our many athletic past times, there is no single event greater (or more important) than the FIFA World Cup.
Here’s why:
Yesterday we watched the Netherlands reach the Cup finals in an enthralling match that sent an entire nation into a state of unstable euphoria. It also left another nation in a steep state of frustration, disappointment and despair. If you watched this game, you saw shots of downtown Amsterdam aglow with orange haze, crowds as big as President Obama’s inauguration, and a party more intense than New York’s New Year countdown and Los Angeles’s Laker parade, combined.
Have you ever played the ’90s computer game Roller Coaster Tycoon? The people of Uruguay likely looked like those park guests when you make confusing paths for them to walk on or place them in impossible situations: lifeless, dejected, and tired.
These emotions are some of the more potent that humans can experience over athletics. Sports give us the chance to experience them together, bonded with pride for our teams, players and cities or countries. They join us in moments of passion for our rooting interests and they take over our lives at times. Right now, I can’t imagine anything being more talked about, thought about, or important in the Dutch nation than the World Cup final.
The World Cup embodies all the reasons why we love watching sports in the first place, and it does so in ways that no other professional sports league can.
Here at home, the Dutch victory over Uruguay was not the only big story on yesterday’s SportCenter. As a matter of fact, it wasn’t even the biggest. Lebron James once again took that honor, increasing his streak of complete ESPN domination to over a month—an amount of time that has eclipsed the NBA finals themselves. We’re obsessed with the culmination of Lebron’s decision; half the Nation is drooling in hopes of him rescuing their team from droughts of failure and losing seasons. Everybody seems to have a theory on how Lebron will screw Cleveland over, and who he will do it for. But the reasons are simple: money and championships.
ESPN announced yesterday that not only will James be announcing his decision live on Thursday, but it will be showcased inside a lucrative primetime special. As if the process hasn’t been painful enough for Cavalier fans, this ought to be the icing on the cake. King James, as legions of faithful Ohioans have dubbed their poster child over the past seven years, is not only a native of the land he has played for since his days in youth basketball, he IS Cleveland.
At the World Cup, this kind of betrayal (or “business,” if you like), could rarely occur. It means more than an NBA title or MVP trophy: you’re playing strictly for your nation and the people who live there. You’re playing to make those crowds climax together. You’re playing for the coaches who taught you how to trick a defender. Wherever King James decides to play next year, there’s no place on earth where winning will feel as good for him as Cleveland. No fan base will show him off as proudly as his native Ohioans, the people who he grew up with and dedicated his career to thus far. Over the past few years, Lebron has become synonymous with Cleveland, like Messi to Argentina or Drogba to the Ivory Coast.
On Thursday, there’s a chance he could severe that bond and add to the reasons why the NBA, like many other professional sports leagues, is nothing more than a scam where those involved benefit more than we could ever imagine.
How would the people of England react if Wayne Rooney announced he needed time to assess his future with England before he could commit to the team? They’d say good riddance, and tell him to bugger off. If your significant other requested some time to think about your relationship, you’d probably pack his/her bags for them. If he/she said they would announce their decision to you and all their potential suitors at the same time, you’d likely feel ill.
This past month, numerous soccer players from around the world went to South Africa with one goal in mind: representing. Many players even turned down the prospect of playing for a top contending country in order to play for their original birth country: when dual citizenship provides a way to get ahead, it’s still pride that brings players back to the country closest to their hearts.
That said, it’s no wonder that 2010s USA World Cup team had people running up 6th avenue in Manhattan chanting our Nation’s name and flying the flag high at 10 am. As sports fans, we’re thirsty for this kind of unity and passion, and the World Cup brings out the passion in players. It has the almighty ability to make greedy backstabbing players such as David Beckham into loyal servants, even if only for a month.
That’s why the World Cup rules all.
My sympathies go out to you, Cleveland.
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