On est les champions
The World Cup. Every four years, it enters our lives for a month. One crazy roller coaster of a month, when everything seems to stop and nothing else matters. Then, as quickly as it came, it's gone. And life goes back to normal as if nothing had changed, and yet I feel like everything has changed.
A lot of that feeling probably has to do with the fact that I now currently live in the country that just won it all. What an incredible experience it was to be a part of it, and how kind of my adoptive home to let me cheer as if I was one of them. I'm not French, and I probably never will be. But I have never felt more a part of this country than I did while watching France play Uruguay in the auditorium at work, or joining in on a chorus of "On est en finale" on the metro ride home after the semi-final win over Belgium, or hearing shouts of joy outside my window during the final match, knowing that my neighbors were experiencing this incredible display of athletic talent just as I was. Like music or math, football is a universal language that brings the whole world together.
Unfortunately, it doesn't always work. I've met quite a few non-believers and naysayers throughout this tournament, and even though they have every right to feel about sports however they would like, hearing their disdain for it has only solidified my certainty that a tournament like the World Cup is a precious gem in this bleak reality of ours. I might have an overly idealistic view of sports, but we all have to hold on to something right? And to me, competitions like the World Cup and the Olympics are a good opportunity for all of us to stop fighting and bickering, to put aside our differences, and enjoy 90 (or more) minutes of skill and entertainment. To unite in a completely useless competition to be the best, and find respect for nations we never would have expected to root for. To witness crazy antics and miraculous goals, hard won battles and glorious upsets. To cheer for 11 men on the field who we have never met and who can't hear us at all because it feels good to have something to hope for. A team is never just those who wear the jersey. It represents a fanbase, a nation, a following of people who have something in common in spite of all their differences. There's something beautiful in the togetherness the World Cup inspires, and I hope the world never forgets that.
That's why it was so weird for me going to work this morning. I expected something to feel different, but work was still work, and nothing had changed. Yet, like I said, everything had. In one night this country became World Cup champions for the second time. For so many people it marked a significant moment in their lives, one that they will never forget. This tournament changed so much. It opened Russia to the world and put them center stage. It saw Croatia, a nation of only 4.5 million, reach the finals for the first time in its history. It watched South Korea knock out the previous World Cup champions Germany in stoppage time not with one but two goals. For most of these players and some of these countries, nothing will ever be the same again.
For me, it marked a significant passage of time and an experience that I'm sure will effect my life in ways that I don't even know yet. Four years ago I was sitting in front of a TV in California, cheering for a completely different team, having just graduated college without a clue as to what I was going to do with my life. A lot has changed since then. I now live 6000 miles away and have been working for almost 4 years but my love of the sport has remained (and to be honest I still don't know what I'm going to do with my life and I was still sitting in front a TV during the final game). It's fun to look back at the person I used to be the last time I watched the World Cup, and I'm excited to see where I will end up by the time the next one rolls around.
And of course, I want to say congratulations to Les Bleus for pulling off a fantastic tournament! You were a pleasure to watch and to cheer for, and I hope you celebrate your win in true champion style. Thank you for letting me be a part of it, I will never forget this amazing experience.
A lot of that feeling probably has to do with the fact that I now currently live in the country that just won it all. What an incredible experience it was to be a part of it, and how kind of my adoptive home to let me cheer as if I was one of them. I'm not French, and I probably never will be. But I have never felt more a part of this country than I did while watching France play Uruguay in the auditorium at work, or joining in on a chorus of "On est en finale" on the metro ride home after the semi-final win over Belgium, or hearing shouts of joy outside my window during the final match, knowing that my neighbors were experiencing this incredible display of athletic talent just as I was. Like music or math, football is a universal language that brings the whole world together.
Unfortunately, it doesn't always work. I've met quite a few non-believers and naysayers throughout this tournament, and even though they have every right to feel about sports however they would like, hearing their disdain for it has only solidified my certainty that a tournament like the World Cup is a precious gem in this bleak reality of ours. I might have an overly idealistic view of sports, but we all have to hold on to something right? And to me, competitions like the World Cup and the Olympics are a good opportunity for all of us to stop fighting and bickering, to put aside our differences, and enjoy 90 (or more) minutes of skill and entertainment. To unite in a completely useless competition to be the best, and find respect for nations we never would have expected to root for. To witness crazy antics and miraculous goals, hard won battles and glorious upsets. To cheer for 11 men on the field who we have never met and who can't hear us at all because it feels good to have something to hope for. A team is never just those who wear the jersey. It represents a fanbase, a nation, a following of people who have something in common in spite of all their differences. There's something beautiful in the togetherness the World Cup inspires, and I hope the world never forgets that.
That's why it was so weird for me going to work this morning. I expected something to feel different, but work was still work, and nothing had changed. Yet, like I said, everything had. In one night this country became World Cup champions for the second time. For so many people it marked a significant moment in their lives, one that they will never forget. This tournament changed so much. It opened Russia to the world and put them center stage. It saw Croatia, a nation of only 4.5 million, reach the finals for the first time in its history. It watched South Korea knock out the previous World Cup champions Germany in stoppage time not with one but two goals. For most of these players and some of these countries, nothing will ever be the same again.
For me, it marked a significant passage of time and an experience that I'm sure will effect my life in ways that I don't even know yet. Four years ago I was sitting in front of a TV in California, cheering for a completely different team, having just graduated college without a clue as to what I was going to do with my life. A lot has changed since then. I now live 6000 miles away and have been working for almost 4 years but my love of the sport has remained (and to be honest I still don't know what I'm going to do with my life and I was still sitting in front a TV during the final game). It's fun to look back at the person I used to be the last time I watched the World Cup, and I'm excited to see where I will end up by the time the next one rolls around.
And of course, I want to say congratulations to Les Bleus for pulling off a fantastic tournament! You were a pleasure to watch and to cheer for, and I hope you celebrate your win in true champion style. Thank you for letting me be a part of it, I will never forget this amazing experience.
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