World Cup fans feel like a million bucks


So, I’m back on the world cup issue. For those of you who are soccer fans or ardent nationalists, you may not love this entry.

As I’ve mentioned before in this blog, I live in Little Portugal, just south of Little Italy. Which means that when either one of these teams wins, I can’t drive for several hours. (If Portugal makes it to the next round and ends up playing Italy, I think the earth might fall off its axis).

Here’s the thing- I don’t get it. What exactly are these people so happy about? So a bunch of Portuguese dudes are better soccer players than the bunch of English guys they just beat. How exactly does this translate to such extreme jubilation for the fans? It’s as if they’ve all been told they’ve won a million dollars. Does anyone else find it strange that these extreme displays of elation are driven by national pride?

If we look to history - WW2 Germany, Maoist China, Soviet Russia - we have many examples of how passion for the nation can have seriously creepy consequences. Call me a soccer grinch, but when I see these rabid fans, I can't help but feel a bit creeped out.