America: Get with the times already!

Get with the times my dear America, after all football is the most celebrated and the most popular game in the entire world. Yes, America, there is another game named football and it does not consist of our usual American-type football game requiring an 11 man roster on defense, offense and special teams. This world-wide game of football requires plenty of endurance, power, and the need for each player to be involved in all aspects of the game. Someone once said: “a football player (referring to the game coined as such in the United States) can play football but he cannot play soccer; however, a soccer player can play both sports with no problem”. True or not, I casually smirk as I think on that comment and am more apt to lean towards believing it than not.
Anyway, whether or not the USA –as a whole- ever tries to learn this great game of football -or stops calling it soccer which is doubtful but understandably so- and whether it ever embraces it as the rest of the world has is irrelevant in my story.
FIFA World Cup 2010 has arrived and its popularity keeps growing and shows no sign of slowing down or even diminishing. In ending I ask more Americans to support Team USA and give football (hmm, I meant soccer for you) a chance.

FIFA World Cup 2010: The Games Must Go On!

In South Bend Notre Dame wins one for the “The Gipper” (George Gipp), but in South Africa, Team Bafana Bafana wins one for Madiba.

As the world comes together to celebrate the beginning of FIFA World Cup 2010, there is so much pride and so much anticipation brewing through-out hallowed football walls everywhere.
My story involves the ups and downs of life and how it seems that any sporting event at some point or another is hit with what I call “the human factor”.
Such “human factor” reared its ugly head already in this event in the early hours of Friday morning near Johannesburg when a car accident took the life of Nelson Mandela’s 13 year-old great-granddaughter, Zenani Mandela (picture above). I am not sure about the circumstances surrounding it so I will not write about that. In few words which I hope contain some wisdom, great compassion, due respect, but certainly no apathy, what has happened has happened and that is all that I need to say about that.
In my own love of the game of football (soccer) and having been an avid follower for over 15 years, I was watching anything on t.v. which pertained to this 2010 World Cup. Early this week there was a bit of perplexity or ambiguity spread about regarding whether or not 91 year-old Nelson Mandela would show up for the opening game. After all, we all know what he did for his country back when they won their first-ever Rugby World Cup in 1995…Madiba himself was there – he was always there. Speculation would lean on the side that he would be at the opening game of the 2010 FIFA World Cup to see his beloved South Africa go head-to-head as the under-dogs versus Mexico. The Nelson Mandela Foundation (earlier this week) said he would be there, but one of his family members said “no”. Sad to say that fate would intervene and make that decision for him following the World Cup Opening Ceremonies in Johannesburg.
I am certain that it was with a heavy heart that Mr. Mandela watched the game from his own home. Torn apart as would be expected by his love of his country, the game and what he had just lost.

Note:
Bafana Bafana - It is a term of endearment which means "the boys the boys".
Madiba – This is the name of the clan of which Mr Mandela is a member. A clan name is much more important than a surname as it refers to the ancestor from which a person is descended. Madiba was the name of a Thembu chief who ruled in the Transkei in the 18th century. It is considered very polite to use someone’s clan name.