I Have a Serious Case of #SoccerFever

Those that know me in real life, know I am not a sports fan. I don’t watch sports. I don’t play sports. I actually find sports boring. And sports always take me back to 8th grade gym class, where I was always the last to be picked.

But soccer fever is contagious. And I’ve got a serious case of it. No one is more surprised than I am. Maybe I should take you back before I go on. 

I grew up in Elmhurst, Queens on the border of Jackson Heights. Jackson Heights is a melting pot of cultures and languages (mostly South and Central American). But we didn’t  watch soccer in our home. We’re Puerto Rican – my family was into baseball. (Except for me. I’d take a book when my parents insisted on bringing me to a ball game.) I didn’t learn about soccer until I started high school. Most of my friends were South American and soccer was a huge part of their culture. I’d visit  my best friend on Sundays and watched in fascination while her father yelled at the television. 

But it was the summer I was eighteen (1994) I became aware of soccer fever. I was walking to the store with a friend, there were four parked paddy wagons at the corner and packed with police officers standing on duty. I put my arm out in front of my friend, cautious about walking any further. “Maybe we should go back. Looks like something is going on.” My friend pushed my hand away and explained that Colombia was playing. I can’t remember who they were playing. At the time I didn’t understand the importance or the need for such police presence. And I remember the summer nights of celebration, streets, sidewalks and cars covered in flour, honking horns and music blaring on nights of victory.

But still soccer wasn’t of any interest.

I now live in The Bronx. Soccer isn’t as a big deal here as it is in Queens. At least not in my neighborhood. But my neighbor is a huge fan. I know when soccer season begins because I can hear her screaming from the street. Last year, we went to a Red Bulls game. And it was fun especially with someone who is so passionate about soccer.

I’ve been watching the games since they began last month. And it began on the first day, while at an event. It was fun to see the excitement building in Times Square and meet a few Red Bulls. I’ve been cheering and cringing with other soccer crazed fans since. And I’m proudly wearing my red, white and blue.

Soccer really is a global phenomenon. That’s the beauty of soccer. The blending of cultures and languages. It’s the unity of family and friends. It’s the fans standing by and hoping for their country regardless of where they currently live. It’s the pride you feel when your country is victorious…and the sense of loss when they aren’t. I didn’t grow up watching soccer but it’s been in the background. It’s a sense of familiar and reminds me of my old neighborhood. After years of wondering what the big deal was about soccer, I know now. Because I feel it too.