I am not a sports fan normally. I don’t go to football games or watch basketball. It has just never been my thing, except for the World Cup. I think the magic of the World Cup rests in its scale and in its internationalism. Obviously, the Olympics have the same international factor, and I do enjoy the Olympics, but the scale is far too big for everyone around the world to be watching and cheering for the same game at the same time. When it comes to the World Cup, people across the world tune into one game with two teams, and that is all, massive parts of the world are connected through the experience of this soccer game. You can see this by a simple scroll through Twitter, look at a trending World Cup tag and you will see people of all nationalities, cultures, and backgrounds connecting over the same brief moment.

Here in America, it is assumed everyone in the room knows the latest football news, which is often the case, but only for Americans. Soccer is so much more international, leaving so much more room for people to connect. The World Cup is the perfect outlet for Americans to become more interested in the rest of the world and soccer, and create more international connections.

Either way, let’s go England! It’s coming home! (Home as in their home, not my home, even though I wrote this post I don’t care about American soccer)