The First Question: Why?

So, it's important to say that I delayed my trip to Europe by 9 days. Initially, I was moving out of my apartment in Richardson on Thursday and in Geneva by the approaching Monday. For what I was planning, that was too little time. I needed to ground myself; I probably wouldn't have got the beginning of my trip that I wanted had I left so early.

It begins with a simple gathering of some friends on a thoroughly scalding weekend in Austin. At high noon, a few of us went to play some soccer at Zilker Park, where festivals such as ACL are held. There were several groups already well into intense matches between foldable goals. So we joined; and we were obliterated by the heat but still ran to gather the rolling ball. Finally, when the big group left to go watch the Champions League final (which unfortunately, my team, Bayern Munich, lost), it was just me and one other friend.

We opted to shed our high tech cleats and socks to reveal outrageous tan lines. But, right at that moment, 6 other friends showed up. Not wanting to upset the vibe, we got up and kicked around the ball, barefoot. We stood in a circle and juggled the soccer ball in the air as we discussed who would progress in this year's World Cup.

This experience -- being amongst friends, the chatting, the barefoot play -- made me think of the true point of this sport. We were all there to socialize with the bare minimum of resources: our feet and one ball. How could something so simple captivate almost the entire planet? This past weekend, I think I regained an outlook for my trip this summer. Yes, I am going to be interning in Geneva, but at the same time, the World Cup will always be a constant theme playing in the forefront of my mind, and the mind of my 'countrymen' for 2 months.

So, my task for myself is to examine how soccer is shaping the culture of those not rich enough to score the choice seats in the stadiums of Johannesburg and Cape Town, but to see the fervor with which fans at home take this sport. It is war on peaceful ground, this game; I urge anyone who thinks otherwise to watch the new Nike Football advertisement. Brilliantly done, with some cinematic exaggerations (Wayne Rooney alone clearly can't ruin Britain's economy), it illustrates what soccer means for Europe. Though this is true year round, I thought, what better time to examine it than now.

A link to the "Write the Future" Ad:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idLG6jh23yE

Now that I have had all my bags packed for a week and my affairs in Switzerland are in order, I am awaiting the arrival of Tuesday, when I leave for Copenhagen, in the heart of one this year's World Cup contenders, Denmark.