Like it’s sport cousin the Olympics, The World Cup Of Soccer, an event that brings together countless number of nations all under the realm of soccer, or football for anyone outside of The U.S.A. To be honest I never gave much thought to the World Cup several years ago. I thought of it as just another bland sporting event interrupting my daily routine for no apparent reason. It was only after I took course in College dedicated the global ramifications of soccer, that I came to realize how important and vital the game, and The World Cup is the world. And also to realize the inherent beauty behind the game.

When the World Cup is done right, it is a wonderful example of the beauty and power of sportsmanship to allow people to come together under one banner. While I must confess that this of course can have dangerous ramifications (as anyone who watches the sport can attest to the brutal tribalism of soccer hooligans, and their like ilk), The World Cup seeks to globalize the game, and hopefully in the process eliminate some of the more alarming nationalist tendencies of the lesser games. It can also bring people of any race, color, creed, sexual orientation, and what have you under an united banner onto the pitch.

While the Brazilian Cup has raised some serious concerns about the human cost of preparing these games (the deaths and displacement due to the massive speed and scale of construction is certainly inexcusable), there is still hope that the games could bring some much needed joy to soccer fans who truly see this as a higher calling. I hope that all the games go swimmingly without incident, and are exciting and constructive to an overall global dialogue of cohesiveness.