First, an update on the visa situations

The Somali referee who was denied entry, Omar Abdulkadir Artan, had multiple posts criticizing Trump on social media. While not confirmed, the speculation is that this is why he was denied entry.

Meanwhile, Thomas Partey was granted a visa to the US but not to Canada, due to his multiple pending charges of sexual assault in the UK.

Sit with that for a minute, this contrast. In the US, it is effectively a bigger crime for a foreign national to criticize Trump than to be charged with multiple credible counts of sexual assault.

So How Do We Respond?

There are people smarter than me who probably have a lot of really smart thoughts on this. But I will add my two cents.

I generally feel lukewarm at best about the US hosting the World Cup. Yes, there are two other hosts, but the majority of the matches are in the US. There are 78 matches in the US, vs 13 each in Canada and Mexico.

There’s pretty good evidence that, at this point, hosting the World Cup or the Olympics is a bit of a white elephant gift. One quote making the rounds right now from an article in The Athletic highlights this quite well.

“During a get-to-know-you meeting held at SoFi Stadium near Los Angeles, a senior FIFA executive set out the core principles of the hosting agreements between soccer’s global governing body and the prospective host cities. The gist of it was this: FIFA takes the vast majority of the revenue from World Cup ticketing, media rights, sponsorship, concessions and parking, while cities are responsible for costs related to transportation, safety and security, extending beyond the stadium to FIFA Fan Fest locations, airports and even vehicles used in the competition.”

When asked “So, what exactly do we get out of this?” The FIFA executive told the attendees that it would put the city on the map.

Los Angeles.

The city that has played host or home to pretty much every celebrity in the world, multiple major sporting events and major teams, the future hosts of the 2028 Olympics, the promised land of everyone who has ever dreamed of working in film, the setting of countless movies over the past century and change. But yeah, sure, hosting 8 of the 104 matches will be the thing to really move the needle for LA.

Then there’s the fact that, generally speaking, the US is not driven by this sport like so many other countries are.

Yes, we have countless soccer fans here, and many of us, myself included, are overly invested, at that. Now that I have an NWSL team here in Boston, I’m a season ticket holder, and my mental health is far too dependent on the performance of 11 women in green jerseys. We are here, and we are passionate. But…we are still the minority. Realistically, although the sport is growing at the professional level here, it is still behind the other major pro sports in popularity. I’m not fact checking that, so if the numbers don’t actually back that up, let me know. I’m going on vibes here.

But that being said, there is something perfect about the US hosting, in that we are a country with a huge population of people whose ancestry has roots elsewhere. From people who immigrated here recently to people whose families came over centuries ago, willingly or by force, many of us have roots elsewhere. Almost every country in this tournament has fans who are US residents. I’m also not fact checking that, but I feel pretty confident in that assertion.

Personally, I’m a Spain fan for life, due to my mother’s childhood in the country. My mental health hinges on the performance of La Roja. I was pretty depressed in 2014 and sure you could say it was because of a lot of personal stuff. You might say it was because I got dumped in dramatic fashion, I was completely lost with no idea what I wanted to do with my life, I was broke and experiencing housing instability, and I was at the beginning of my transition, fighting tooth and nail for gender affirming healthcare in Ohio.  

OR MAYBE  

It was because Spain got bounced in the group stage of that year’s World Cup.

But beyond Spain, by blood I’m a bit of a mutt. Croatia, Ireland, Germany, Italy, and France all make appearances in my heritage. Italy and Ireland aren’t in the tournament, and I wouldn’t be caught dead supporting Germany or France, but I follow the Croatian team closer than I follow the US team. I’m pretty fond of the Croatian keeper, Dominik Livaković, because my god, the man looks like half of my paternal cousins.

But even if don’t know or care where your ancestors came from or you’re indigenous, there are communities around you who are watching these non-US teams quite closely. Want to enjoy the Cup, but don’t really care about the sport or any team? Find one of these communities and join them, I guarantee you they will show you how to cheer and love and cry over this sport.

Also, side note, if you are one of those who could not care less about the World Cup, thanks for sticking around with these dispatches. If you’re hoping that I get back to my data analysis jokes, I also hope to find the time to do that soon, but no promises.

Someone put together this beautiful tool for identifying the top three teams represented in each US county. I mean, come on, how cool!  

With all of the chaos, corruption, and evil that seems to flow through FIFA and the US government these days, I can’t help but feel like supporting these other countries and communities is actually a beautiful form of joyful resistance.  

If you don’t believe me, let’s talk about Curaçao. The team has been the picture of joy so far this tournament. Their Instagram is reel after story after post of the players dancing, laughing, exuding pure pride and revelry. I don’t even know what to link to here, because every single post is joyful. And beyond their own posts, there’s the posts of their fans, both in Curaçao and in the diaspora.  

The Curaçao population is about 158,000 (roughly the size of Charlotte, NC) and, there aren’t exact numbers on this, but the best I could find says the Curaçao diaspora in the US is probably under or around 30,000. As I watch the game right now between Curaçao and Germany (pop. 85 million), it sounds like the stadium is filled with only Curaçaoan people. I won’t speak to what’s happening on the field, to save your spoilers, but in the stands, Curaçao is outcheering the Germans.

So, if you’re neutral on this whole World Cup thing, but maybe want to see what the fuss is about? Find a team, find a bar or restaurant hosting a watch party, and maybe along the way, you’ll find some friends as you perform a little joyful resistance.