The Villager Voice
Say this for the World Cup tournament – it is one of the few things we can all talk about without fear of devolving into rank partisanship. Whether your favorite team is still in the hunt or not, the entire tournament has been an exhilarating experience, even for the fair-weather fan. I happened to be in Boston the day the Scots took over the city, and it was so fun to see folks of different cultures (and accents!) treat each other like long-lost friends. Whether you were rooting for uber-underdog Cape Verde – and it seemed like nearly everyone was! – or you’re sticking to your tried-and -true champions like France or Argentina – or you may be following your favorite stars like Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé or Cristiano Ronaldo, it seems like so many folks are taking an unexpected (to themselves) interest in international football. Even those of us who still call it soccer.
It is important, I think, to pause and appreciate the moment. Right now, folks around the world are sharing both the glee and the common language of the event. We can root for or against a team without provoking division. Our young people are as conversant in the sport as the rest of us, some considerably more so. And our interest has created a community for sports fans and non-fans alike. I sense the unity it has created is at least on a par with our shared celebration of the nation’s 250th birthday, perhaps surpassing it in some quarters. So it is a season, however brief, of unity in a common cause. I am grateful for it.
Links to Sunday’s bulletin and service are here: