WORLD CUP

What do these two pictures have in common? One is obviously a victory scene of goalie Tim Howard after the US qualified for the Knockout Round Thursday by defeating Algeria in World Cup play. The other is a picture of the farmland outside the small central Illinois city of Decatur IL where I spent three days attending of our denomination's General Conference. South Africa, the site of the World Cup, is where Tim Howard was obviously passing those same days.

What the two have in common is that for the entire three days these two places were connected by an international media system as the people of Decatur (and people from around the world attending the same conference I did) lived not only on the hot, stormy plains of Illinois but in the massive urban centers of South Africa, as we were connected (perhaps cemented) by a common focus - the incredible drama of the World Cup. Wherever I went in Decatur, people were watching their TV, or their cell phones, or their computers to catch the latest scores and even live action of these games. As much as some Americans find soccer boring, and as much as I prefer baseball and college football, these games provided as much sports drama and human drama as I have experienced with any athletic competition. And when you realize people of all socio-economic classes and political systems are drawn to this sport at its highest level, you know the Super Bowl is just so much excuse to sell over-priced and over-the edge advertising. Even with the US now eliminated, I
suspect I am going to watch the rest of the World Cup. It has made a new fan for soccer.