The late South African president Nelson Mandela once said that “Sport has the power to change the world… it has the power to unite people in a way that little else does”.
At the pinnacle of sport lies soccer; at the pinnacle of soccer lies the FIFA World Cup. It is undoubtedly the biggest event in the world. It’s a month-long global standstill that combines an unmatched showing of national pride and a mass depletion of life savings and vacation time. And it only comes every four years.
But after what seemed like an eternity of waiting, the FIFA World Cup kicks off tomorrow. It is time.
It is time to put the domestic league on the backburner. That’s easy to say for Europeans, who are giving up a month’s worth of silly season. It isn’t as peachy for North Americans who are stuck in the middle of the MLS regular season.
But even MLS knows that trying to run up against FIFA is a bad idea. So instead, fans get a two week sabbatical and get to see some familiar faces (22 to be precise) play for their national sides. And as much as they would prefer to be in Brazil, MLS players not getting the call will gladly take some recovery time.
It is time to show your colours. Because everyone around you will be doing it too, and the spirit is contagious. And don’t just pick one. If your national side is in the tournament, choose them and somebody else you fancy. If you don’t have any patriotic ties, take two teams from each side of the bracket and be willing to part ways with three of them once the semifinals roll around.
There is no logic a neutral fan needs to follow. You’re new to World Cup fever? Buy a Bosnia kit. You like going out on Sunday picnics? Croatia’s shirt would look good on you. You want to feel safe in a large crowd? Japan my friend, and not the blue jersey.
No matter whose colours you adorn, there is one thing you must always remember. Always, ALWAYS be sure to bring a plain grey T-shirt with you wherever you go. Just in case you find yourself in the wrong bar.
It is time to realize that Mandela was right.
Forget uniting people in a way that “little else” does. Soccer is the sport that unites us in a way that nothing else does.
Politics you ask? No. Too complicated for the common person to understand.
Religion? Never, especially not in today’s society.
How about money? I said unite, not divide.
Maybe other sports? Close, but they’re all either too poorly followed, too regionalized, or too inaccessible. Or all of those three.
Soccer is all encompassing. Its power is undeniable. That power was used by Didier Drogba to stop a civil war in his native Ivory Coast. Daniel Alves used it to fight against racist acts by Spanish fans. Lionel Messi has used it to make small Caribbean nations bow down to him. What took centuries for whole countries and countless governments to do has been done by soccer in the past decade.
And soccer continues to do better. From growing efforts to promote LGBTQ acceptance, to having a paralyzed girl delivering the ceremonial first kick of the upcoming tournament, soccer goes where nothing else tries to go. And it delivers.
It is time to join the effort.
The world is far from perfect. But soccer may be our best shot at getting it there. People need to call for changes within FIFA regarding recent corruption scandals. The growth of the world’s game needs to be more carefully laid out in order to avoid disaster.
Eight workers have died while constructing venues for this summer’s tournament. That number could become microscopic once the 2018 and 2022 World Cups in Russia and Qatar, respectively, have been played. If the World Cup were to go to a country with the bulk of the required infrastructure already in place, with legitimate worker’s rights codes in places, with a bid to host that wasn’t chosen because of under-the-table money, think of how much better things would be.
It’s rather strange how FIFA and the sport they govern have done so much good externally, yet there is still such a great internal wrong. They’ve done their part in changing us; it is time for us to do our part in changing them.
And lastly, it is time to make your picks.
There are numerous World Cup bracket challenges out there, with prizes ranging from eternal glory to a small country. But it isn’t just about the winner.
In the world of today, every match, every play, every off-the-field storyline will be followed more than a British boy band on tour. Don’t be a lame duck and expect nothing but a Brazil victory. Have a bracket filled out for the sake of fun, because going into it with expectation won’t get you anywhere.
What we expect to happen at the World Cup rarely does. But whatever happens is always better than what we thought would happen, even if our brackets get busted after the group stage. That’s just how it is.
I want a lot of teams to succeed. England mainly, but Australia, Ghana, and the United States are just a few others. But there can only be one.
The lesser powers have always succumbed to the big guns in this tournament. But having come close in recent tournaments, this is the one where they get it done. It is time for a new champion to be crowned. Belgium over Brazil in the final is what I’m calling.
Football will triumph over futbol in the battle for soccer supremacy.
Unity has a funny way of showing itself.
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