I was walking on my way to work early this morning and passed a bar, which was already open. Sitting there was a woman all alone — literally. In the whole place, no one was there but her! She was wearing a soccer jersey (I couldn’t identify the team or country as I am terribly sports-challenged) and staring intently at the World Cup game on the TV. It was definitely an odd sight. But at second glance I was struck with how beautiful it was as well.
Sports are a wonderful thing. Not only do they promote physical activity but they sublimate our warring instinct. In fact, if you examine the pre-game rituals of some countries, you’ll find they are reinterpreting dances and costumes used to prepare for battle. But another way to look at it is that sports invoke a sense of loyalty among all of us. And loyalty is a wonderful, beautiful thing! Of course people can be loyal to the wrong people or organizations sometimes, but loyalty signifies a human being’s potential for love, community and willingness to sacrifice for others.
So let’s revel in the World Cup…as long as we’re rooting for USA of course!
