I stole the title of this post from a book I'm reading by Franklin Foer. A New York Times' best seller, Foer contrasts the worldwide love of Soccer with modern theories of globalization. While a fascinating book, it focused mainly on the primary professional football clubs and it failed to discuss the idea encompassed by its title that first drew me to it: Soccer is the only activity (besides maybe warfare) that is truly embraced by just about every culture and every demographic within culture around the world.I took the Photo above on the fringes of the Kibera Slum in Nairobi, Kenya, in June of 2006. I had been playing with some of the school children I was working with, and despite the surroundings of one of the worst slums in Africa, excitement abounded. The 2006 soccer World Cup was in full swing, and if you followed it at all you'll remember that the West African country of Ghana was doing unexpectedly well. Kenya, and from what the media seemed to portray, all of Africa as well was ablaze with excitement and support for a fellow African nation. On a continent known for its division, I was struck by this unilateral transformation of identity. Ghana flags were being sold in the streets and flapped from the roofs of passing vehicles. They didn't make it all the way, falling to Brazil just before the Quarter finals. But their strong showing brought a talented team from Africa to the forefront of the International stage.
Fast forward to the summer and fall of 2007 when I found myself on two separate disaster response assignments in South and Central America. My first stop was Peru, where 8.0 magnitude earthquake in August had devastated several southern towns. And yet the football games were not stopped, played in refugee camps by the children or with my team of Peruvian Nationals. I came proudly home with Peru Jersey.
Then on to Nicaragua in October after the Category 5 Hurricane Felix nearly leveled the coastal communities on the Northeastern coast. I took the photo to the left one night after completing a medical clinic in the town of Tuara. Despite the destruction, the game lived on.
And thus my interest in soccer has blossomed. Reading a recent post on Ryan's Blog, I was pleased to see the passion continues in Uganda as well. While I'm not sure of Asia's interest in the game and I know the US has a lot to learn, I'm fascinated by how such a simple activity could have so much relevance in seemingly every corner of the globe. If only the gospel had the appeal of football.
