There are few things in this world that successfully unify a country, and two of them occurred simultaneously on Sunday: sports and tragedy. The unifying power of tragedy is the more obvious; in times of need, a country can rally around each other to strengthen the patriotic bonds that tie this country together. Tragedy has most recently unified this country after 9/11. It was hard to go anywhere without seeing Old Glory flapping in the wind, candlelight vigils in communities around America, and chants of U.S.A. at professional sporting events from San Francisco to New York City. The competition of professional sports can be at times, quite divisive (see Yankees/Red Sox, Ohio State/Michigan, UNC/Duke, Eagles/Cowboys, etc...) but it can also be an incredibly strong means of cohesion. The Olympics are the quintessential example of this; who doesn't root for their country to win the medals race every other winter and summer? It's a matter of national pride to win the most medals or beat a rival country, and citizens quickly evolve into fans trying to push their country to the top of the sports world, literally.So what can be said for the Confederations Cup this past week? With the United States just barely squeaking by into the semi-finals, nobody expected them to beat Spain, the world's number 1 ranked team. But they did. And people noticed. A country with fewer soccer fans than citizens of Vatican City rallied behind their soccer team and cheered them onto a 2-0 win over Spain. I can't even count the speed with which my Facebook news feed blew up with statuses about the game. And while I know I may have a few friends who watch soccer, there was certainly a discrepancy between the number of soccer-watching friends and soccer-loving statuses after the game. Not to mention soccer--soccer!?--yes soccer, was the headline on ESPN.com, a rarity indeed.
And then Sunday struck. Confederations Cup championship game, USA vs. Brazil. In just 45 minutes, the United States soccer team had millions of Americans surrounding their TV screens watching their soccer team outwit, outplay, and outlast Brazil (Yes, that's the Survivor slogan and I just felt like using it), up 2-0 at halftime. American pride oozed from homes across the country. And then tragedy (and perhaps reality) struck. Brazil struck three times in the 2nd half to take the lead
, 3-2, and they held on to win the game. Yes, spirits were down, but the US soccer team had succeeded in turning a country of bystanders into a country of fans. The loss couldn't damper the American spirit and pride generated from a once meaningless game. A classic example of sports and tragedy unifying a country and regenerating pride in the US of A. And I can guarantee that one year from now back in South Africa, millions of Americans will remember the Confederations Cup, rally behind their team, and try to push them to the finals, a place they have never been before.
, 3-2, and they held on to win the game. Yes, spirits were down, but the US soccer team had succeeded in turning a country of bystanders into a country of fans. The loss couldn't damper the American spirit and pride generated from a once meaningless game. A classic example of sports and tragedy unifying a country and regenerating pride in the US of A. And I can guarantee that one year from now back in South Africa, millions of Americans will remember the Confederations Cup, rally behind their team, and try to push them to the finals, a place they have never been before.
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