I'll keep this simple. I could wax eloquent about the history, emotions, loyalties, alliances, rules, gravity-defying goals and the space-exploration style technology behind the design of the ball of football - but I'd rather pin my fascination on one point. Nothing brings (almost) the entire world together into a single unified viewing experience as the FIFA World Cup does. In my mind, I picture scenes in homes across hundreds of nations where people gather to watch beautiful football games and place their hopes and dreams in the hands of a few. I cannot imagine any other occasion when there are such numbers involved in a single activity. Each nation has their own special moments - the elections, the cricket world cup, the baseball world series, even the Olympics - but in comparison to the Football World Cup these still seem targeted towards specific segments of viewers.
The Football World Cup has a special place of honour in almost every country around the world - this year even in the US where the global game is considered a secondary sport to other national sporting pursuits. When I watch the Football World Cup, I understand what it would be like to be united as one species globally along with 500 million viewers (FIFA numbers for the previous cup final). It is the moment when I feel one with the rest of the globe in a way no amount of war, global warming concerns or political drama can ever achieve.
