Cup of the World.

Last week the final team group for the FIFA 2006 World Cup, taking place in Germany,
were announced last week. Amongst the teams from every corner of the globe that were
blessed to be amonsgt the 32 teams, five were African.

There is no other sports event on the planet that give me hope of global peace and unity that the FIFA World Cup. It is always such a wonderful feeling when the one-in-four-years event rolls around again. It is the only sporting event final that the legitimately has the word World in it.

It’s the only event I can think of that is truly democratic. The country with the most resources doesn’t always win or come second place.

More than that it they time I really see nations coming together. Their differences put aside (albeit temporarily) and all scores are settled on the field and everyone plays by the same rules.

One of my lifelong dreams was to go to a World Cup match. I was blessed enough to have that opportunity (several times) when the World Cup was hosted by the United States in 1994. Boston was one of the host cities. I remember that for many American that were non-immigrant or who had just lived for generations in America. The idea of an event being bigger than the Super Bowl or the World Series, or even the Olympics was unheard of.

Suddenly, they were seeing neighbors they never knew they had, emerging with a motley of flags and skin tones and languages. Everyone had a team. Either the country you were originally from, or the region, had some representation in the contest. Again, I was blessed to have both Nigerian and the United States in the World Cup. And for a few intoxicating months in 1994, every Argentine, Greek, Italians, Mexican, Japanese, Arabian, Jamaica, Dutch, German and Costa Rican was my brother or sister.