The Beautiful Game

Soccer, calcio, futbol, football, futebol... though it has many names, soccer is one game and it is *the* one game that binds virtually all the cultures of the world. I think that is really neat.

I really liked this video. Though I take exception to a word used about 2/3 of the way in, I think the video captures well how soccer brings people together. I like that.

In my own life, I remember some years ago stopping for lunch while on a family trip. There were some Hispanic guys in the restaurant parking lot who were taking a lunch break from their construction jobs and kicking a ball around the lot. My boys and I joined in, though we didn't speak their language. We kicked it around with them for a few minutes, then we shook hands, bid them goodbye and I gave them Spanish-language Gospel tracts.

A few years later found us vacationing on the beach. My boys and I kicked it around on the beach with some Jamaican guys one day that week. One of the Jamaicans said I "had a nice touch" on the ball. Oooh I liked hearing that even though I really have the typical American "cinderblock" touch -- he was just being nice.

Another day we saw some Brazilian guys playing a game which was a combination of beach soccer and four-square. I asked if I could join in. Even though those guys have more soccer ability in their toenail clippings than I do in my entire body, they let me play. I was torched numerous times, but fun was had by all.