World Cup Fever

“Soccer is a magical game.”

~David Beckham

I can’t believe I have forgotten to blog about watching the World Cup here in Togo, so I am rectifying that mistake right now. About the only sport that all Togolese people seem to be united around is soccer (football). It’s everywhere in Togo, by far the most popular sport. I’m not even sure what other sports people play here besides soccer. 

I have always had mixed feelings about soccer, because I played on a team as a kid that introduced me to the culture of "mean girls...." not much fun, but definitely a valuable character-building experience. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, right? I finally came to my senses, quit soccer, and devoted all my time to tennis. Since then I have preferred to watch tennis, basketball, and football. 

That being said, since I have been living in Togo, and especially with the World Cup happening right now, I have really enjoyed watching the matches. It has become the highlight of the last couple of weeks here and I can’t wait till Tuesday when the semifinals begin. I started by going into town every night to watch the games at the local bars that had television, but my official Togolese work partner didn’t like this, thinking it was too dangerous. One afternoon he showed up at my house with a TV. Surprise! I was absolutely shocked. He is letting me have it at my house for the duration of the tournament and then he will come and collect it once it’s over. So I have had the pleasure of watching the matches in the comfort of my own home. I can’t describe how weird and unnatural it felt at first to have a TV in my house. 

Sadly, the U.S. isn’t in the tournament anymore, but they still played their hearts out against Belgium. Now I am rooting for the home team, Brazil! Back when I was in the hospital in South Africa there were TVs mounted on the ceilings so patients could watch while they were lying down. There were only two channels, the Cricket Channel and the Premier League Channel. My British roommate and I had no idea how Cricket was played, so we watched the Premier League for four days. If that doesn’t make someone appreciate soccer a little, I don’t know what will. Anyway, I grew to like the Chelsea team and my favorite player was Oscar, the midfielder. He is originally from Brazil and is playing on the Brazil World Cup team. That’s mainly why I am rooting for Brazil. Also, it would be pretty great to have the home team win and take away the glory from the European teams who seem to always dominate in the international competitions. Brazil’s next match is the semifinal on Tuesday against Germany. Go Brazil and Go Oscar!