< The World Cup >
The World Cup is a really BIGGG sporting competition. It's probably even bigger than the Olympics, though for both competitions, my country Singapore just cmi (cannot make it). For us Singaporeans, though we're not involved in the competition, we still get caught up in all the World Cup craze. In my opinion at least, the World Cup simply has to be the biggest footballing competition.
On any day, I'll definitely prefer the EPL league season than any international football matches, yes even the World Cup. But you have to admit there's an allure to the World Cup that draws even non-football fans to it. Perhaps it's the patriotism factor, seeing citizens in the countries involved uniting together to cheer on their fellow countrymen in a sporting competition isn't something that occurs frequently, and is an experience everyone relishes. I think if there needed to be an example of football uniting and not dividing, this would be the best one. Yes, despite the Andres Escobar tragedy after the 1994 World Cup (the Columbian footballer was shot dead in his home country after scoring an own goal), which probably caused some sort of a blemish on the sport, the World Cup is more renowned for the different colours and cultures fans of the representing countries showcase to the world.
For most of us whose country isn't involved, we randomly pick a country to "support" because this way, we'll enjoy the experience better. Purchasing the national team jerseys, donning on shirts in their national colours, placing bets on matches are just some of the way we show our apparent support for these countries. Trying to pretend that we "belong" to a country that isn't our own but is involved, definitely beats just sitting around, watching in envy at those who are in the competition. Thus overnight, you've Singaporeans pledging allegiance to Brazil, England, Italy, Holland, etc. Note that this only lasts for a month though. We're definitely still Singaporeans through and through.
A lot of football fans begin their love for football, or any form of football knowledge, with the World Cup. I was no exception. I knew my Brazils and Englands before I even knew my Liverpool and Manchester United. I heard of Del Piero and Maldini even before I heard of Robbie Fowler because of those WC cards I used to collect with every "Twister" I bought from KFC prior to World Cup 98. Even as recently as World Cup 2002, I became somewhat familiar with the likes of Miroslav Klose, Pauleta, Roque Santa Cruz, and with that I thought I knew a lot about football, until I became an EPL/Liverpool fan after that and was wondering who the hell were Ruud Van Nistelrooy, Thierry Henry, or even most of the Liverpool players (like Hyypia, Murphy, Riise, etc), and wondered where the "top goal scorers" I saw in the WC disappeared to.
My boyfriend HH once told me a story of how he used to think football teams only consisted of countries, and not of those league clubs. He bought some of those football stickers and was astonished to see players like Vinnie Jones (who the hell is he?) and teams like Everton (what 'ulu' team is that?) on those. To be honest, I wasn't aware of there was something called the English Premier League going on every week for 8-9 months a year until a few years ago. I knew I heard of Arsenal, Manchester United and Liverpool somewhere, but couldn't quite place a finger on how the competition they were in worked.
Indeed, the stars of WC are often very much different from those in your usual top leagues. While I now believe the consistently top players in these leagues are of a higher calibre than those who shine for that one month in the WC, it doesn't diminish the excitement I have with regards to the WC. This is because though I won't be clamouring wildly for Liverpool's signature of any otherwise unknown player just based on his performance at the WC (think Diouf, Diao), the WC still provides an opportunity for us to pretend to be a scout for our clubs and to appreciate some of the footballing talents who play in other leagues.
I almost live and breathe football these days. While I don't play the sport, I enjoy LEARNING more about football, the players, history, and all these stuff. It's perhaps the only subject I'd gladly "study"! I'm still far from being a football know-it-all, because I go "huh?" at many of the names I've read/heard about who are going to play in the WC. (Sorry, I can't even name you a single Togo or Saudi Arabia player yet)
If anything, at least by the end of this month, I can tell you I know who Akwa is and have seen him play!
(ok... apparently he's Angola's star player!)
Yes, I know most people are watching the World Cup for different reasons. They want to watch the more famous players strutting their stuff together on the world stage, they want to watch the beautiful footballing skills displayed by the likes of Brazil. Of course, I want to see that too. I've always been skeptical about the amazing stuff I've heard about Brazil (yes, I know they're good but...) 'cause to me, the WC isn't just about a single country, the same way the EPL isn't just about Chelsea (*rolls eyes*). So I'm excited as I look forward to see a month of good footie, all played in the right spirit.
On any day, I'll definitely prefer the EPL league season than any international football matches, yes even the World Cup. But you have to admit there's an allure to the World Cup that draws even non-football fans to it. Perhaps it's the patriotism factor, seeing citizens in the countries involved uniting together to cheer on their fellow countrymen in a sporting competition isn't something that occurs frequently, and is an experience everyone relishes. I think if there needed to be an example of football uniting and not dividing, this would be the best one. Yes, despite the Andres Escobar tragedy after the 1994 World Cup (the Columbian footballer was shot dead in his home country after scoring an own goal), which probably caused some sort of a blemish on the sport, the World Cup is more renowned for the different colours and cultures fans of the representing countries showcase to the world.
For most of us whose country isn't involved, we randomly pick a country to "support" because this way, we'll enjoy the experience better. Purchasing the national team jerseys, donning on shirts in their national colours, placing bets on matches are just some of the way we show our apparent support for these countries. Trying to pretend that we "belong" to a country that isn't our own but is involved, definitely beats just sitting around, watching in envy at those who are in the competition. Thus overnight, you've Singaporeans pledging allegiance to Brazil, England, Italy, Holland, etc. Note that this only lasts for a month though. We're definitely still Singaporeans through and through.
A lot of football fans begin their love for football, or any form of football knowledge, with the World Cup. I was no exception. I knew my Brazils and Englands before I even knew my Liverpool and Manchester United. I heard of Del Piero and Maldini even before I heard of Robbie Fowler because of those WC cards I used to collect with every "Twister" I bought from KFC prior to World Cup 98. Even as recently as World Cup 2002, I became somewhat familiar with the likes of Miroslav Klose, Pauleta, Roque Santa Cruz, and with that I thought I knew a lot about football, until I became an EPL/Liverpool fan after that and was wondering who the hell were Ruud Van Nistelrooy, Thierry Henry, or even most of the Liverpool players (like Hyypia, Murphy, Riise, etc), and wondered where the "top goal scorers" I saw in the WC disappeared to.
My boyfriend HH once told me a story of how he used to think football teams only consisted of countries, and not of those league clubs. He bought some of those football stickers and was astonished to see players like Vinnie Jones (who the hell is he?) and teams like Everton (what 'ulu' team is that?) on those. To be honest, I wasn't aware of there was something called the English Premier League going on every week for 8-9 months a year until a few years ago. I knew I heard of Arsenal, Manchester United and Liverpool somewhere, but couldn't quite place a finger on how the competition they were in worked.
Indeed, the stars of WC are often very much different from those in your usual top leagues. While I now believe the consistently top players in these leagues are of a higher calibre than those who shine for that one month in the WC, it doesn't diminish the excitement I have with regards to the WC. This is because though I won't be clamouring wildly for Liverpool's signature of any otherwise unknown player just based on his performance at the WC (think Diouf, Diao), the WC still provides an opportunity for us to pretend to be a scout for our clubs and to appreciate some of the footballing talents who play in other leagues.
I almost live and breathe football these days. While I don't play the sport, I enjoy LEARNING more about football, the players, history, and all these stuff. It's perhaps the only subject I'd gladly "study"! I'm still far from being a football know-it-all, because I go "huh?" at many of the names I've read/heard about who are going to play in the WC. (Sorry, I can't even name you a single Togo or Saudi Arabia player yet)
If anything, at least by the end of this month, I can tell you I know who Akwa is and have seen him play!
(ok... apparently he's Angola's star player!)
Yes, I know most people are watching the World Cup for different reasons. They want to watch the more famous players strutting their stuff together on the world stage, they want to watch the beautiful footballing skills displayed by the likes of Brazil. Of course, I want to see that too. I've always been skeptical about the amazing stuff I've heard about Brazil (yes, I know they're good but...) 'cause to me, the WC isn't just about a single country, the same way the EPL isn't just about Chelsea (*rolls eyes*). So I'm excited as I look forward to see a month of good footie, all played in the right spirit.
posted by lala at 8:28 PM
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