Forthoseofyouwhomay not know, we’re currently in the middle of one of the biggest international sports events -- the World Cup.
I’ll be honest, for a long time, I wasn’t really into it. Sure, I knew theWorld Cup happened every four years. But it wasn’t something that I cared about. I tried soccer as a child, but my dreams died before I even got through my first game. I got hit in the neck with a soccer ball, and that was it. No future World Cups for me. I was pretty ambivalent about the sport after that.
That all changed in 2010. My first World Cup in South Korea.
Now, when I say that Koreans go hard for football (do not call it soccer there), they go hard. Just as hard as any European or Latin American country. A sort of fever comes over the populace, starting during qualifying matches and amping up the closer we get to the opening of the actual World Cup. Football players are seen as the top echelon of professional athletes.
Every time the Taeguk Warriors played, there were watch parties at every bar and restaurant, no matter the time difference. People donned red shirts and devil horns (the fans are known as Red Devils).They would play matches on the large LED screens outside City Hall in Seoul, where thousands would gather to watch on picnic blankets, many having fried chicken and beer delivered or picking up snacks and drinks from nearby convenience stores.
And it’s not without reason. In 2002, South Korea became the first (and currently only) Asian country to make it to the semi-finals. They’ve made 11 consecutive showings at the competition since 1986. In the last World Cup, they made it all the way to the Round of 16.
Every time the World Cup comes around, there is electricity in the air and an energy that takes over the entire country. Everyone comes out in mass to support and cheer on one team (andalsodrownthemselves in beer and soju).
I have never experienced anything like it before, and I loved every second.
After that year, I started counting down until each World Cup. While I struggled to name even a handful of players, working in the news media, it was easy to follow the stories and keep up with where Team Korea stood in qualifying matches and what their chances were. I, like everyone in the country, would be a bona fide football expert by the time the main games started up (at least in my head).
Today, it’s kind of weird, but as I’m watching the World Cup take place in the U.S. while in the U.S., I wish I were back in Seoul. Or at the matches. Anywhere close to the fans. Because it’s not just Korean fans -- there’s something magical about ALL World Cup fans, and it’s hard to explain unless you’re there to experience it yourself.
Watching the news stories about the foreign fans celebrating together, regardless of which team they support, brings me joy. There’s something really special about that.
I miss it. I’d love to bring a taste of it to Lincoln County, though it wouldn’t be the same. But in the meantime, I’ll be at home cheering on the Taeguk Warriors as they make their push. They have a good chance at advancing to the next round (Round of 32), but beyond that, we’ll see.
As they say in South Korea, FIGHTING!