The Best Part of the World Cup
When you’re sitting in a car dealership lobby waiting for your vehicle to be serviced while fighting off a migraine, it takes a lot to inspire a genuine smile. In an unexpected treasure, I reveled in the happiness of players and spectators at the World Cup in Qatar.
While the fumes of tires and oil saturated the air, the South Korea v. Portugal game aired on screens across the waiting room. I’ve never been that interested in the World Cup, but it seems to permeate every conversation in our house at the moment. My sons, who play soccer, have their favorite players and teams, so I’m hearing and learning a lot about it now.
As I casually glanced at the dealership’s TV from time to time, I silently cheered for Portugal. As Cristiano Ronaldo’s biggest fan, my middle son takes Portugal’s wins and losses to heart. With only minutes left in the game, at a 1-1 deadlock, it seemed it would all come down to the dreaded penalty kicks.
UNTIL…..Son Heung-min brought the ball up the field past the defenders and passed it to Hwang Hee-chan. Hwang scored the final goal for a 2-1 victory. In celebration, Hwang immediately stripped off his jersey and flexed for the cameras. Not exactly the way I celebrate my victories, but hey – I get it. You gotta do what you gotta do. Along with his muscles, his pure happiness sprinted naked across the turf.
For the next several minutes, the broadcaster panned to Korean spectators in their moment of victory. Most of them didn’t even know they were on camera – and their genuine ecstasy was palpable. They laughed, cried, thanked God, hugged each other, waved flags and cheered. In those moments, despite any differences in opinion or choices in life outside of the World Cup – they were all one in their state of utopia. It was absolutely beautiful.
The upset meant that Korea would be one of the final 16 teams. For a split second, I felt disappointed for my son about Portugal’s imminent loss in the match. But Portugal got to advance anyhow so everyone was fine in the end – (except Uruguay, I guess). But I left the dealership feeling happy. I know unity in ecstasy isn’t unique to this particular game, but it stood out to me here. I suppose observing that moment after the “big thing” is my favorite part of the World Cup. The jubilation of the spectators is contagious. I only wish we all could bottle that kind of happiness and take a sip when we needed it.