Thursday, May 4, 2017

The World Cup {Its in the Curriculum now!}

In a serendipitous series of events, the College Board added the World Cup to the "list of things to cover" for the AP World History Exam.  I, being a lifelong soccer fan, have been more than pleased to teach world history through the lens of the beautiful game.  And most of my dear students are probably sick and tired of hearing my comparisons of all things historic to either rock bands or soccer teams, but alas - I have a good reason to talk soccer now.

So, for those who may not know, the World Cup is an international soccer tournament held once every four years.  It was created (like the modern Olympic movement in 1896) in 1930 to be a peaceful way for nations to interact and compete.  Before 1800, soccer (er, football) had only been played formally in Britain (where it was invented).  But by 1900, the British Empire had conquered almost 25% of the earth, bringing with them their laws, tea, Christianity, Cricket, and...Soccer.  While Cricket continues to be the most popular sport in India and Pakistan, soccer (with its simplicity) took over the world.


Nowadays, soccer is the world's game.  Not only is it easily the most popular sport on earth - but it most often acts as a great "international language" of sorts, enabling people from all across the world to come together in peace.  My youngest son knows more players from Africa and Latin America, than he does from North Carolina.  

In addition, the World Cup provides a chance for developing countries (and the B.R.I.C. countries) to compete on the international stage.  (Point in fact, Brazil leads with five WC titles, followed by Germany and Italy with four, and Argentina and Uruguay with two each).

This has resulted in many countries angling to host the World Cup, as it is the world's most viewed event for one month.  And countries who are currently looking to extend their international profiles have been the most recent hosts, including South Africa (2010) Brazil (2014), and Russia (2018).  To be fair, the Olympics, Cricket, and even (the growing international popularity of) Basketball play similar roles in the world now.  But soccer remains undefeated, and the World Cup remains the crown jewel.

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