World Cup vs. U.S. sporting events
Why is the World Cup bigger than any American sporting event?
Outside of America, one sport dominates the globe in terms of exposure, money, participation and passion — that sport is football, also known as soccer. It is so big it's almost impossible to categorize, however, here are a few examples that will give you an idea as to why it is called the 'World's Game.'
First, soccer is the easiest sport in the world to play — you don't even need any equipment! That's right, no equipment. Let me explain. For the majority of its participants, soccer is a working-class sport and if you don't have a ball, a bundle of rags will do. Cleats? Who needs them? Look at the popularity of beach soccer. Trash cans for goal posts, alleyways for fields, shirts versus skins for uniforms. It is all inclusive.
Second, unlike American sports, there is no need to be a physical specimen. The two greatest players of all time were not even 6 footers — Pele was 5-foot-10, Diego Maradona was 5-foot-7. Just go to your local park and watch the kids playing soccer, they come in all shapes and size, which is the beauty of the sport, anybody can play, watch and identify.
In December of 2005 the draw for the World Cup finals was made in Leipzig, Germany. Without a ball actually being kicked more than 350 million people tuned in via their television sets while millions more followed the proceedings over the Internet just to see who their country would be paired with. America's biggest event, the Super Bowl, is watched by less than 100 million people, stateside.
The last World Cup in South Korea and Japan were watched by a cumulative audience of ... wait for it, a staggering 28.8 billion people, while the final itself between Brazil and Germany attracted 1.1 billion viewers, the largest TV audience in sporting history. By the way, these figures only account for home viewing so when you take into account the number of fans in bars and restaurants it would be much higher.
Rivalries and politics play a huge part in the World Cup. If you think that the Red Sox-Yankees or Bears-Packers is hot just wait until you're in the stands when England takes on Argentina. It becomes more than a game of soccer, it takes on it's very on identity, is a source of incredible patriotism and at times rampant xenophobia. With so much history at stake, a loss can send a country into mourning.
There are already some huge matches in the first round of this World Cup that will push emotions and nationalistic fever to the limit :
6/11 Angola v Portugal: Portugal colonized Angola.
6/14 Germany v Poland: WW II and all that entails.
6/21 Argentina v Holland: The rubber match between two great soccer powers.
6/22 Australia v Croatia: Half the Australian squad is of Croatian descent.
Here are some ther matchups that have an earth shattering appeal and that we could see depending on how teams advance:
England v Germany: Historically joined at the hip.
Brazil v Argentina: Hatred is too mild of a word for these two South American neighbors.
Japan v South Korea: Occupation always stirs up some fond memories.
Serbia & Montenegro v Croatia: The wounds are still fresh
As you can see, soccer, thankfully, has replaced warfare. However, down on the pitch these rivalries not only entice the participating countries but are mouthwatering for the rest of the world. With the break up of the old Soviet Union, the U.S. no longer has that mortal sporting enemy, although should the stars align and Bruce Arena's lads face Iran, things could get quite tasty.
What we're getting at here is that the World Cup is not necessarily about entertainment, unlike American sports. Sure, the neutrals amongst us want to see great games. But the bottom line is winning. If you were a Brazilian on Copacabana Beach in 1994, the fact that Italy was only defeated on penalty kicks in the final didn't even enter the equation as the entire country went ballistic with joy.
In the World Cup there aren't any cheerleaders on the sidelines to amuse when the play is slow. There is no PA announcer telling the crowd to make some noise. There is no dramatic music as the ball moves up the pitch. All the noise is generated by the crowd — it's organic and it comes from a place deep in your heart because of the intense love and pride that you have for your country. Now don't get me wrong, Americans love their country as much as anybody else, however the vehicle to express that passion can only be found in this four-year extravaganza.
A famous coach named Bill Shankly once said the following when asked if football is more important than life and death: "Listen, it's more important than that." Shankly, on occasions, lived to regret those words as the sport has had more than its fair share of tragedies. But if you asked soccer fans from around the world what they'd give for their country to win the World Cup, you'd be shocked by their replies.
Finally, one more oft heard quote "sports and politics should not mix," doesn't relate with the World Cup, as it frequently occurs, unlike in American sports. This is why the World Cup is the grand daddy of them all and dwarfs all other sports including the Olympic Games.
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