Obsession for Soccer

So the FIFA World Cup started today!!! I am so happy because I like soccer, I follow it, and it is the maximum level of competition in soccer. This event takes place every 4 years. It is such a big event, probably one of the largest sports event, very comparable with the Olympics in terms of popularity and attention (not particularly in Canada).

My favorite team is la Argentina! They are playing tomorrow, and they have a group of very talented players. But they have to work on "playing as a team" and not depending on their star players. One of the 3 things that makes my heart beats faster is seeing Argentina playing soccer =P. 

At this point, Spain is definitely the top favorite because of its recent victory in the Euro Cup. And also because they have players of high quality specially in the midfield. Besides them, Brazil and Netherlands are potential candidates, though they have some things to work on. Italy is relatively weaker, but they are a team that is made to win in adverse situations. England, Portugal, Germany are other big names, but I personally think that they are ok. 

Soccer is indeed the most popular sport in the world (once again, not in Canada). Since it is so popular in the rest of the world, it can exert great influence, both in good and bad ways. I was reading the National Geographic a long time ago, and I read that a truce was made for a night in a civil war in an African country because their national soccer team was playing. It is very interesting how a soccer match can unite a country despite the internal warfare. In many developing countries, soccer is the game for the poor (since you only need a ball, or make a ball out of newspaper), and it is perhaps the way for people to make a living or to escape from delinquency. 

It can be funny at times. For the current World Cup, the government of Honduras decided to give official leisure time during the time-slots when the Honduras national team will be playing to allow the workers to watch the game. Guatemala played the famous Brazil during a friendly match, and Guatemala tied the game in the very last minute, and it lead to a great celebration involving firecrackers all over the country. So funny because I myself was very happy when they tied, haha.

Also, obsession for soccer can lead to tragic outcomes. There are soccer fanatics that cause vandalism during the games that have cause people to die. There is a particular case in which a player got killed because of scoring an own goal. It is unbelievable. How can a soccer game able to infringe morality causing people to do such bad things?

Similarly, it is important for all of us not to be mastered by anything that will lead us to bad behavior. It is so easy to put God aside when we find something that we really like at the moment. And when we notice, our sinful nature takes over, and we forget to live in congruence with the Spirit. Many of the things that can distract us in such ways are very small harmless things like board games, movies, music, sports, etc. I am not saying that those activities are bad, but that we should continue showing our Christian character in every situation.