The beautiful game

0606_soccer_border_ng_cm_diThere is no game on Earth that evokes the level of passion and loyalty that soccer does, especially during the FIFA World Cup. This international competition is held every four years, and has the highest viewership of any event in the world.

Today, it is the most widely played sport on the planet, due in part to the fact that the rules are simple and the equipment requirements are minimal. While the game may be minimalist, the emotions attached to it are anything but.

In places where there aren’t a lot of things to feel hopeful about, soccer can provide much needed hope, joy, pride, and optimism in the hearts and minds of the loyal fan. The passion surrounding soccer is unrivalled in intensity, playing an important role in how individuals, communities, and even nations define themselves. In fact, so strong is the emotion fans have for their nation’s team, it has been able to overpower divisive politics and unite countries splintered by conflict, including post- dictatorship Argentina in 1986 and post-Berlin Wall Germany in 1990. In 2005, a win by Cote d’Ivoire’s multiethnic team helped end the civil war that had been raging there. No wonder it’s called the beautiful game.