Sports on an International Level

The World Cup ended this weekend and Italy came out on top after winning the penalty kick shootouts at the end. The final match was a very heated affair with some controversial calls and some memorable incidents that will likely be remembered for years to come. Zidane's headbutt is the one that comes to mind most vividly. But incidents such as that aside, one aspect of the game stuck out at me the most and that was the way in which the players and indeed the world, seemed to come together to enjoy a month of competition among some of the best players in the world. Whether you follow football (that's soccer to us Yankees) or not, it was hard not to get caught up in the action. And it also revealed to us the very nature of ourselves.

Despite the competition and rivalry between France and Italy in this final, players from opposing sides helped on another up when they fell, exchanged embraces and smiles for having played against one another in competition on the world stage. Sports are unique in that way. I always found it fascinating that you could give a child anywhere in the world a ball, and without saying a word, that child knows what to do with it. It is something innate and basic in all of us and it's something that we should always remember. We will always root for out home team but it's just as much fun to cheer for someone else as well. I'm sure of all the thousands of fans in the stands in Munich this past weekend, not everyone of them was either French or Italian but they all united for one day for the simple love of the game and of the competition. And this isn't only limited to football by any means.

It was announced today that Juan Pablo Montoya is leaving Formula One to join his old team boss, Chip Ganassi in NASCAR. Many look at it as a step down from the pinnacle of auto racing but look at the deeper meaning behind it. Once every four years, for a month, everyone in the world comes to know of the skill involved in 'the beautiful game' that is the World Cup. With the addition of Juan Pablo to NASCAR, the fans of the world will soon come to know of the popularity of NASCAR. One can argue that NASCAR remains a relatively American sport, but with the addition of firey JPM, I can only imagine how many more people will tune in.

Just check out any Formula One race and see how the fans of the world come together to cheer on their favorites. Similarly, once JPM begins racing in NASCAR, I'm sure there will be a similar rise in popularity. Sometimes all it takes is one little thing to peak our interest and we begin to look into something. Soon that fleeting interest can become a full blown obsession. It's just another example of the power of sport and how it can ignite the passions in all of us.... no matter what language we speak.