Football Frenzy

Like any good American, I don’t like soccer.

I find the sport slow and unentertaining, and I can definitely think of a lot of things I would rather do with my time than watch something I don’t particularly care for—especially here in Malawi. Sitting on my couch at home and half-watching a match is one thing, but sitting through an entire 90-minute contest—when I have a whole new country to explore and all my FHI work to do—seems kind of silly. Well then, why am I watching so much of the World Cup?

I have probably seen 60 percent of the matches so far. Since the beginning of the tournament I have had to learn the rules of the sport, figure out which teams are good and which ones aren’t and remember players’ names. Here in Malawi the World Cup brings together people from all nations in one common obsession and to not know what’s going on makes me feel like a bad citizen of the world. And who wants to feel that way? Certainly not me. And not Jing for that matter.

I don’t think Jing would ever feel embarrassed about that kind of thing though. His excitement for every ball played anywhere in sight of the penalty area can be heard throughout Lilongwe. But I digress.

With the help of the tournament, we have met a surprising amount of people and been introduced to a sport kept secret to most Americans but held close to the hearts of hundreds of millions of people around the world. And for that I am certainly grateful. We watched England’s first game with a group of five English university students we had met the night before. We met our friend Andrea when one game slowed down only to yield fascinating conversation about her extensive field research and experiences abroad. When cultural divides seem unbridgeable or conversations fizzle out, you can always ask which teams will play later that day, comment on how the Mexican referee with the slicked-back hair is ruining games or commend how well Ghana played. And it’s always easy to point out that the U.S. is probably the worst team. Ever.

I was watching every game for the first three or four days, but now I usually catch one every other day or so. I’m losing interest. Because even though I love the international camaraderie that the World Cup brings out, I mean, I’m still American, and I just don’t like soccer all that much.