(Display Name not set)June 2006 Archives

Were your weekend’s activities planned around exciting (and some ho-hum) World Cup soccer elimination matches? Mine were, and happily, here in the U.S. I had the benefit of daytime broadcasts from Germany. And though my biggest problem was fighting for television rights with my almost three-year-old daughter, I realize there are much worse problems that can come from a World Cup obsession.

Like the threat of being defrocked.

Seems World Cup soccer is cramping the religious style of some Buddhist monks in Thailand. IBN Live reports that monks who have been staying up past midnight to catch the soccer matches have missed collecting morning alms the next day.

So is it really that big a deal? I admit to rushing through prayers on a commercial break during a crucial match! But I guess rushing through individual prayer and sleeping through religious obligations to the public have different consequences. Nearly 40,000 Cambodian monks, next door to Thailand, have been threatened with defrocking if they become too excited while watch ing the games.

Phnom Penh patriarch Non Nget told Reuters that if the monks “make noise or cheer as they watch, they will lose their monkhood.”

Not make noise or cheer as they watch World Cup soccer? Not being able to join in “God Save the Queen” along with rabid English fans? Not being able to sing “Ole, ole, ole!” when Brazil’s Ronaldinho makes his incredible moves? Not being able to scream “Goooooooooooooooooooaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaal!” any time any team scores a goal?

I’m praying that these monks are made of strong stuff. I’m sure they must be. Perhaps they know a way to internalize boisterous soccer enthusiasm. And if they do, I’d sure like to learn how. Then I won’t have to hear my daughter say, “No Mamma, no soccer. You’re too loud!”

And so the dream has died, with the United States’ loss to Ghana yesterday (2-1) in the World Cup competition. Even though Italy did its part by beating Czechoslovakia (2-0), the U.S.’s loss cemented its shameful exit from the first round of the 2006 World Cup. I guess all my “bismillahs” as the U.S. maneuvered for a goal and all my prayers to God for a U.S. victory went unanswered. Them’s the breaks.

But the excitement persists, and faithful fans continue to call on the highest power to put their team over. In my opinion, it's faith (and skill, of course, and maybe some questionable calls by the referees) that drives this tournament. In fact the churches of Germany are capitalizing on the World Cup by trying to reach out to people of all religions.

An article on Forbes.com reports that thousands of churches asked for and received broadcast rights to the games: “Some are showing them on large screens in churches--others... in impromptu places of worship. Preachers have worked soccer themes into their sermons.” It seems that church officials are stressing the similarities between religion and soccer: “both have rituals, offer a sense of community, a chance to leave the ordinary behind.”

And apparently Christianity has cornered the world cup market in Germany. The article goes on to report that Muslim and Jewish communities are not undertaking similar efforts.

Too bad. It seems to me that the churches of Germany have latched onto something interesting. Want to increase attendance? Just broadcast World Cup soccer! But that doesn’t guarantee that your parishioners will listen to your message about God. As one Roman Catholic Church spokeswoman said, "We have to be realistic. Most people come here to watch soccer."

Are you salivating in anticipation of watching the great Ronaldinho of Brazil in action? Can’t wait to see Germany’s Michael Ballack use the home-turf advantage to chew up his opponents? Or perhaps it’s the thought of the Ivory Coast’s Didier Drogba out to prove that African teams have the discipline and ability to win big that gets you fired up. What? You mean you don’t know who I’m talking about? It’s the World Cup, baby! Soccer’s crowning glory is back again after four agonizing years to unite the world under the banner of gamesmanship, excitement, nail-biting matches, crazy fans, mesmerizing players, and passionate faith.

Soccer is truly the universal sport, the one athletic game that nearly every youth dabbles in at some point. And the World Cup is the pinnacle of the sport, an event that has fans all over taking off work and dropping all other activities to gather around the television at homes, restaurants, and pubs and root for their favorite teams.

It’s a time when sports prayers reach their feverish climax, when the most non-religious people will throw their hands up in a passionate plea to God at some crucial moment, praying for that player to make (or block) that goal. And that’s what I love about it.

Did you ever get scolded for wasting a prayer on something trivial, like—oh, say—the outcome of a game? I remember a time when my then teen-aged brother was watching his beloved San Francisco 49ers play in the Superbowl (in the late 1980s), and saw some fan cross himself at a crucial moment. My brother was inspired. He dropped to his knees, lifted up his hands, and began reciting all the Islamic prayers he could remember, beseeching Allah to help his 49ers win. My mom lit into him: “Don’t waste your prayers; don’t waste Allah’s time on a football game!”

I turned to her (I must’ve been about 10 or 12 at the time) and said, “Mummy, prayers are infinite. You can’t ever waste a prayer, no matter what you’re praying for! And don’t you think God likes to have a little fun too?” She just laughed and acquiesced to my beliefs. (By the way, the 49ers won that day!)

And so, bring on the World Cup and all its passionate fans. Bring on the hopes and dreams of legions of soccer fans in countries around the world, praying for Ronaldinho to make magic or for the United States to gain some respect in the soccer world. Let the fun and faith begin.

Ole, ole, ole, ole!