Football craze - or what to expect if you come to Argentina four years from now
Since before the World Cup started, my city has been sort of drowned in a parade of flags hanging from every building, light-blue-and-white rosettes in people’s coats and a general excited atmosphere that doesn’t quite match the damp winter weather in Buenos Aires. Argentina turned 200 years last May, and it was quite the celebration, with our main avenue closed to cars and dedicated to a five-day-long party with many bands and artistic productions. I spent a good amount of time there and it was quite impressive. But I’m losing track of my point, which is that this general mood has made its way up to these days, enhanced by the performance of our team in the World Cup.
I travel by bus every day, almost crossing the entire city from my house to my work place, so I guess it could be said I get a good glimpse of it on a daily basis. Every single place in Buenos Aires has a flag. Bakeries, banks, offices, grocery stores, you name it. I’m not a particularly big fan of football; actually, I rarely watch a game and almost never go to see a football match live. But this atmosphere is contagious, and I find it impossible to resist. Everyone is talking about the World Cup: men, women, kids, even old ladies walking their dogs. And even if it is just to complain about it, it’s still wonderful that every single person in this city, hell, in this country, is brought together by a handful of matches.
Of course, it does have its ups and downs. Like, you shouldn’t even think about passing out on a day Argentina plays, because there’s no chance you’ll ever get an ambulance. Everything stops, most people don’t have to go to work, kids can skip school. But then, things like what I saw today happen, and I can’t find it in me to be upset about the craziness that spreads around like some weird contagious virus.
We had Uruguay-Ghana and Brazil-Holland today. Both Uruguay and Brazil are neighboring countries and potential opponents (well, Brazil isn’t anymore, I still can’t believe they lost). Argentina wasn’t even playing today. But every bar had the TV on and they broadcasted both matches. People were crowding on the streets outside of the bars, looking through the windows with their mouths hanging open. Complete strangers shared their views on the teams and the plays. Drivers honked their horns when someone made a goal. It was just plain crazy, and Argentina wasn’t even playing.
Tomorrow we run against Germany, and I don’t know a single person who isn’t going to be glued to their TV.
I guess what I’m trying to say is that this speaks for who we are, even if not everyone is a big fan of the game. We’re a bunch of people who just like to stop in their tracks and share something, whether it is with a complete stranger, outside of a bar or on a rainy day. Or all of them.
I travel by bus every day, almost crossing the entire city from my house to my work place, so I guess it could be said I get a good glimpse of it on a daily basis. Every single place in Buenos Aires has a flag. Bakeries, banks, offices, grocery stores, you name it. I’m not a particularly big fan of football; actually, I rarely watch a game and almost never go to see a football match live. But this atmosphere is contagious, and I find it impossible to resist. Everyone is talking about the World Cup: men, women, kids, even old ladies walking their dogs. And even if it is just to complain about it, it’s still wonderful that every single person in this city, hell, in this country, is brought together by a handful of matches.
Of course, it does have its ups and downs. Like, you shouldn’t even think about passing out on a day Argentina plays, because there’s no chance you’ll ever get an ambulance. Everything stops, most people don’t have to go to work, kids can skip school. But then, things like what I saw today happen, and I can’t find it in me to be upset about the craziness that spreads around like some weird contagious virus.
We had Uruguay-Ghana and Brazil-Holland today. Both Uruguay and Brazil are neighboring countries and potential opponents (well, Brazil isn’t anymore, I still can’t believe they lost). Argentina wasn’t even playing today. But every bar had the TV on and they broadcasted both matches. People were crowding on the streets outside of the bars, looking through the windows with their mouths hanging open. Complete strangers shared their views on the teams and the plays. Drivers honked their horns when someone made a goal. It was just plain crazy, and Argentina wasn’t even playing.
Tomorrow we run against Germany, and I don’t know a single person who isn’t going to be glued to their TV.
I guess what I’m trying to say is that this speaks for who we are, even if not everyone is a big fan of the game. We’re a bunch of people who just like to stop in their tracks and share something, whether it is with a complete stranger, outside of a bar or on a rainy day. Or all of them.