“Knowing what to say, in the right way – at the perfect moment – can mean the difference between a world-class life and an average one.” –Robin S. Sharma
The Philippines may not have qualified for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, but we are very much involved in terms of practical and historical reasons. By being a part of the global sports fraternity and that we have all, in one way or another, been inflicted with soccer-mania since time immemorial, we are within the parameters of “the World Cup village.”
What does it mean to be part of the World Cup? It means we need to improve local sports programs. Not only in soccer, but in all events that makes a global impact. The Olympics, in particular, will take us past the threshold into “world class competition.”
We must prove we belong not just in words but by drawing inspiration from extraordinary performances by incredible athletes and teams and using it to improve our own standards.
While we may breath, cheer, discuss, argue, monitor, broadcast, and write about the World Cup, we can’t escape the fact we have no team in the competition. Supporting teams like Spain, Brazil, Argentina, Portugal, or France is not the same as physically being in the stands and feeling the excitement.
Local sports facilities also need to be upgraded. The country cannot afford to remain obscure, lagging behind just because we’re considered a “third world country.”
Supremacy in sports translates to an ascendant economy, but we can also pull the rug out from under the international sporting community and show Filipinos can be world-class athletes despite a struggling economy.
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France is in the finals of the World Cup. The descendants of Voltaire, King Louis, Marat, and other precursors of the French Revolution await their opponent, either England or Croatia (which will be decided by the time this column is published).
England is near to the hearts of Filipino soccer fans, while success for Croatia would mean a first World Cup final for the former Yugoslav republic.
While the world has already gone crazy over the World Cup, it’s about to get crazier with this Sunday’s final./WDJ