With all the hype surrounding the long-awaited 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, I started questioning my lack of enthusiasm for one of the world’s largest sporting events. Was I just too immersed in the NBA and NHL playoffs to spare any excitement for the tournament? It didn’t take long before I realized that it was due to a deeper rooted problem: namely that soccer is alien to Canadian sporting culture because there are no strong national ties to the game.
If the men’s hockey team hadn’t clinched the gold during this year’s Winter Olympics, I’m willing to bet that there would have been some sort of national outcry, and that fingers would have been pointed every which way.
However, when once again Canada failed to qualify for this year’s FIFA World Cup it seemed as though few took notice. The first and only time that Canada qualified for the tournament was 26 years ago, at Mexico ’86.
Undoubtedly, soccer is one of Canada’s most popular sports, but I find that my lack of passion for the FIFA tournament stems from the fact that I cannot draw on any national pride while watching. Alternately, I tend to become overly zealous about a sport when I am able to root for a Canadian team or player. I typically have no interest in keeping up to date and watching skeleton racing, but during the Vancouver 2010 Olympics I became a huge fanatic as I was able to cheer on a fellow Canadian, Jon Montgomery, in his race for the gold medal.
In the world of professional sports, I find that I can usually hold some allegiance to a team if a well-known Canadian athlete plays for them. While some may not regularly follow basketball, they may feel inclined to tune in during the playoffs to watch and cheer for the Phoenix Suns (who are captained by two-time NBA MVP, and fellow Canadian, Steve Nash). Even baseball, which is far more popular in the United States, has its star Canadians. Justin Morneau, who is first baseman of the Minnesota Twins, has twice been awarded the Silver Slugger Award for best offensive player in the League.
That being said, many Canadian soccer fans will likely find themselves cheering for the team that features their favorite player, or in which they find their heritage. When I do watch, I’ll be rooting for the Azurri because of my Italian background. But trust me, I won’t be heartbroken if they don’t repeat.
