Shuhei Matsuo
Assistant Sports Editor
The 2006 FIFA (Federation Internationale de Football Association) World Cup kicked off last week with a 4-2 victory by the host country, Germany, against Costa Rica in Munich. Considering soccer is played in a number of countries all over the world, the World Cup is arguably the biggest sport event on earth.
However, if I turn on TV and watch sports channels, I hear more voices taking about who will win the NBA Finals, if your favorite MLB team will make it to the playoffs, or who will win the U.S. Open.
I have to admit that golf is my favorite sport (or game, if that’s what you want to call it), and I can’t wait to see the U.S. Open this week. And I also enjoy watching MLB, NBA, NFL and tennis usually more than soccer.
But when it comes to the World Cup, it’s a different story – I have to watch it.
The World Cup is more than just soccer: it’s the battle of the world.
I don’t think there is any other sports besides soccer that is loved by everywhere in the world. All you need is a ball, so anyone can play this game. It is the simplest form of team sports.
The World Cup meets every four years to determine which country has the most skills in this straightforward game. This is not only for soccer fans: this is for everyone.
According to ESPN.com, a poll that asked how the USA vs. Czech Republic World Cup match at 12 p.m. ET Monday will affect one’s work schedule, 62% of participants answered “not at all” to this question. Not so bad because 38% of them care about it? Well, these participants are most likely sports fans. So if you also took a poll with non-sports fans, you would probably get a higher percentage in the “not at all” category.
On the other hand, if you took the same kind of poll in any other country that’s in this year’s World Cup, you would probably get a very different result.
Costa Rica made the opening day of this year’s World Cup a holiday. No one in Costa Rica had to work last Friday so everyone could watch the opening match against Germany. It’s that big of a deal over there.
Like Costa Rica, everyone was going crazy in Mexico when its team beat Iran 3-1 on Sunday. One good thing was that it was during a weekend. But I’m sure it would have been the same if the game was on a weekday instead.
In Europe, where soccer was born, people enjoy soccer almost religiously. It is actually called “football” and it’s much bigger than American football. So The World Cup is like the ultimate festival for Europeans.
The World Cup is huge in South America and Asia as well.
Coming from Japan, I often don’t understand why Americans don’t’ really care about the World Cup.
Is this because soccer is such a minor sport in the U.S.?
Maybe. But, that’s not the main reason.
Look what happened at the World Baseball Classic a few months ago. Baseball is one of the major sports in this nation, but people didn’t really pay attention to this international event. But they certainly do enjoy cheering for their favorite local teams.
So I guess this is like a cultural difference. I mean, there is nothing wrong with having a favorite team and cheering for it. But I think it’s more of a big deal to see country-to-country battles than city-to-city battles, especially if they only meet every four years.
I don’t watch soccer very much, but when it comes to the World Cup, it’s a whole different story. Why? Because I think it’s much more exciting to see any international sports games than domestic ones.
I have no idea who will win this year’s World Cup, but I hear this year’s team USA is better than ever. My favorite team is Japan, obviously, but I’ve been in the U.S. long enough to cheer for the country.
So why don’t we watch at least all the US games and cheer for the country? Come on guys, this only happens once every four years. Let’s make some time for this and support your country.
06-12-2006
