Its Just a Game, But It's Not.

This may be the first part of probably a series of posts. The prompt? My freshman RA, a friend, posted his reply to an article (links below this paragraph) and challenged people to respond to a series of questions. The article proposes more, but the whole situation of the world caught on the fires of the world cup is intellectually challenging. The question “why?” so burned into my skull by my math-teacher-for-a-father permeates my latest obsession….why are we acting this way?

http://jesusfigueroa.wordpress.com/

http://live.drjays.com/index.php/2010/06/11/world-cup-2010-the-last-time-you’ll-care-about-soccer-till-2014/

Now, I am venturing to try to answer some of those….but I thought it easiest to begin to put words to paper about my own experience. It’s hard for me to describe my love for anything, let alone the one thing in my live I’ve consistently loved and has been the center of my sanity for so long.

So, why do I love soccer?

First, I started playing soccer at the age of three, found myself traveling around the south east by the time I was 9 and traveling around the nation (and world) at age 14. At 17, I faced a career-ending injury and now play with my "weak foot" if I want to play at all. I coached my high school's JV team for two years and refereed at the State and Premier level for five years. Now? I just hit the grass with my ball for a couple of hours a week. Nothing formal. In the fall I have a new coaching position...at a YMCA .

I love it because it defines aspects of the human experience—at our best and at our worst. Soccer challenges people in such a revealing way. Trust me, if you know what you are looking for? You can watch a single player during a game or a practice and tell if they love what they are doing. You can tell if they are putting forth their best effort or are willing to give up. Opposition breathes personality-defining moments into every millisecond of the game. It demonstrates pure bliss, pure anger, pure disappointment...

It relies on grit and intelligence of an individual while remaining a team sport. It is up to each player whether or not to make the last sprint, to take the hit, to make the pass, make the decisions. Yet the team has a character and an energy that affects every heartbeat of every individual.

Soccer is poetic; how the ball moves and skips through the grass, the rhythm of the players, the crescendo and paired diminuendo (both of sound and energy) of goal attempts or a particularly nasty foul, the deep breaths of the players, the chatter of the fans….the game, even for a set of 4-5 years on a pitch, is always part art, part sport.

It also has ingrained into its rules a set of morals that, I believe, should be common to all. You are punished if you hurt someone, and punished harsher if you do so intentionally. The sport holds you accountable for your mistakes both through penalties and through the prospect of a goal being scored and the teams disappointment resting on the shoulders of those who made mistakes. Teams take turns at kick off, divided by success and half time. At the end of the game, win, loose, or tie, you thank the other team for a good match, you thank the referees for officiating fairly. Teams show respect for players who get hurt by giving distance or apologizing as the situation seems fit. And of course, the obvious: learning when its one person's moment to shine or when its a group effort.

More personally? I love the game for what it has taught me and for guiding me as I grew up. It taught me to be a leader, how to win and lose graciously, how to work hard for what I want, interpersonal relationships, how to work for a superior I don’t agree with, how to muster up the courage and energy when fatigued to complete a task, to always finish what I start….how to deal with pain. Soccer has delivered some of the greatest physical and emotional pains...I love the hand that harms me. But I have grown from these injuries, pains, and thus have no regrets.

Also, I recognize the power sports have in general on the political sphere. Today South Africa plays Uruguay in an old rugby stadium where non-whites used to be banned. There are more countries in FIFA than in the UN. Yesterday I cheered on North Korea as they held back Brazil for an unprecedented 55 minutes and then actually got up out of my chair in surprise celebration as they put a goal in the back of the yellow net in the last regulation minute. Countries that are generally face hard times in their communications gather in the stands side by side with few incidents. It’s just a game, but it isn’t. Like the Olympics, the World Cup brings the world together for a moment. But why?? Ah, the haunting question.

During a conversation with said friend who prompted all of this, I made the claim that just because you have played your whole life doesn’t mean you are actually connected with the sport. Being a player doesn’t mean you love it. It means you have the experiences that means you could love it from a unique, deeply knowledgeable, perspective.

I preceded to point out examples…people who play because its habit, because it looks good on college apps, because someone wants them to, because they happen to be good at it…people who play for any other reason than : I love the game.

So what’s the jump? What makes some people love it and others…nonchalant? I don’t know the answer to that question. Maybe the game has to have some sort of positive impact on your life, like it was for me. Maybe some people’s bodies just happen to produce the correct set of hormones when you fill the equation with grass, a ball and the desire to score. Maybe the Nationalistic spirit is a deciding factor. (Would explain why the USA isn't a big soccer country...) Ill think on this more. If I ever come up with a better answer, Ill write again.

I can no longer play at a competitive level. Instead of playing at a lower level, I’ve decided to coach. I feel as though it’s time for me to pass down the experience. I hope that I can present the opportunity for some child to grow up with the foundation of soccer in their lives; more moral support and for an outlet for any and all emotions.