By Clarence Garcia, Courier Staff Writer
When we Americans mention the word “football”, we all think of an oval-shaped “ball”, helmets, and players recklessly tackling each other. Yet, the original football is far more popular than the sport we know in the United States. The most popular of all sports, football (or soccer, as we like to call it) has deeply influenced fans of all nations worldwide.
So it makes sense that the 2018 World Cup, which will occur in Russia, is the biggest sporting event this entire year. With the US’s somewhat modest emphasis on soccer development (MLS is the least popular of the four big sports leagues), many Americans don’t realize the real impact of soccer, and the monumental tournament occurring in just a few months.
Since the World Cup was founded in 1930, there have been 20 tournaments, with Uruguay being the inaugural host. This is also the first time Russia will host such a major sporting event.
Through a qualification process of over 3 years, 32 countries (sorry, America) have been selected to compete for the top prize in June. Currently, the hype is with 5-time champion Brazil, as well as other traditionally good competitors like France, Portugal, and Germany (the current champions).
Logan student Bryce Liao commented, “It’s kinda sad that the US won’t be able to compete this year, but I’m still looking forward to all the matches. This is an event that happens only every four years, and with the diversity in our community, we are all extremely excited when it happens.”
Despite soccer’s relatively lacking popularity in the United States, it is still home to millions of followers of the sport on a daily basis–people who are extremely excited and ready for the tournament to begin.
Another student, Horace Assar, stated, “Soccer is a beautiful sport, the fan base is very big and supportive, but at the same time, it can get violent […] In the UK or South America, there are sometimes fights in or outside of the stadiums.”
Indeed, the big tournament is not without its detriments. Events like the World Cup and Olympics often boost the host’s economy for a short while, and then send it crashing down.
Horace has even gone as far to say that “hosting the event is a waste of money […] they spend millions of dollars building stadiums that will be left behind at the end of the tournament when they could be using the money to help needy people in the country itself.”
Nevertheless, the World Cup is by far one of the most exciting events every four years. With the advances of technology, almost everyone will have access to such an amazing and memorable event. As the clock ticks down to June 14th, what team are you rooting for?
