Does the World Cup Really Bring People Together?

Depends on which part of the world you are currently in, you might be one of the millions of people who are awake at odd hours of the time and watching the action of the World Cup happening in Johannesburg. Maybe you are not a soccer fan, but there is still something infectious about a global sporting event like the Olympics and the World Cup. The drama of whether South Africa will make it past the first round. The interpersonal politics that imploded France. The re-orientation of U.S.' attitude toward the rest of the globe in the form of surging interest in soccer (or is it football?). The spectacle of North Korea as some sort of living fossil on an increasing connected global stage.

We are all glued to the television set (715 million people watched the 2006 World Cup Final), and we learn little bit more about each country's culture, politics and personalities. Nothing unites people quite like sports.

The question I want to ask is that whether sports unite people, or is it the business of sports that unite people. By that extension, is it really the profit motives of some that happens to unite us all temporarily into a mass media-fueled consuming frenzy? Is the waving of national flags simply an attempt to distract and merchandise? Is the common passion for the game that really transcend, for a moment, all the petty national/cultural differences and disagreements?

The Roman emperors, in times of turmoil, famine and instability, used to use free gladiatorial games as a way to distract people from the real problems that face them. These games provided the audience with a complete distraction from their mundane day to day lives. The comradery of sitting amongst your peers, the opportunity to wrap oneself up in the glory of Rome and the consumption of food and wine, all served to provide the ideal escape from issues of war, disease and political unrest.

On the other hand, Nelson Mandela famously used the 1995 Rugby World Cup and its national team, the Springboks as a symbol for the newly united and post-apartheid South Africa. The entire nation came together and supported François Pienaar and his team to victory. It showcased the fragile hope of a bitterly divided nation and brought out the best in people.

In the new globalized world that we live in, where global problems like terrorism, pandemic disease, environmental degradation and social inequality are real concerns, maybe these global games serves as the ultimate distraction from the real problems. If we could connect with people around the globe around the common value of fair play, team work, meritocracy, rules of law and equality that are ever pervasive in sports, and use that to volunteer and make a real difference, then maybe these global spectacles could serve their real purpose after all.

p.s.: Along that line, BEAN also plan a variety of sporting events. :-) Come check us out!