Why the Game is Beautiful (to Me)

Last Sunday afternoon, along with about 700 million other people, I watched the final game of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Last Sunday evening, I heard about that many people grouse and grumble about how boring a game it was.


“What?!” I initially cried. “Were we watching the same game? I was on the edge of my seat the whole time!”

The more I thought about it, though, the more I realized that I wasn’t immersed in the game to see the kicking and heading of the ball down the pitch into a net. I could see how people thought it was boring because it was scoreless until the 116th minute and if it had been a regular game, I would’ve turned it off. But it wasn’t: it was the Superbowl, game 7, the 18th hole, the 10th frame- the final game. And although I have followed the World Cups since 1998 and a couple of Euro Cups, I suddenly understood why I sat there through scoreless matches and blow outs: It is a beautiful game. It’s beautiful because it’s human, and it’s human because it reflects life.

Watching this World Cup, it finally all came together for me, how life and soccer are so intrinsically intertwined. There are amazing acts of destruction that are selfless (blatant Uruguayan hand ball against Ghana to keep them from scoring), and acts of selfishness that are amazing in their brutality (Brazilian stomping on Dutch player). We see laughter, tears, moments of sheer genius, and moments of unimaginable heartache. We see people who stoop to despicable acts of desperation, and people who rise above unimaginable obstacles with poise and grace.

There are men who are teamed with each other who can’t verbally communicate, but their feet sing a song with the ball that is the language of the universe that is understood by all. We see highs and lows that are simple in their complexity, and complex in their simplicity- much like we see in life. Sometimes the game is boring and minute-by-minute, nothing changes. Sometimes we think our hearts will explode with the excitement of an unexpected instance. That is humanity and life, and it’s beautiful. Just like the game.