The Elusive Underdog Magic of the World Cup
Neutrality may be a tenable position in geopolitics, but it’s tantamount to indifference when tuning into the World Cup. A soccer match can rarely be watched in earnest without one side winning you over. Croatia faces France in the World Cup final on Sunday, a game that (based on figures from the last tournament) could attract a global TV audience of more than one billion people, most of whom, of course, are neither Croatian nor French and therefore splendidly free to choose which team to support.
As a contest not just of teams but of nations, the World Cup gives the unaffiliated plenty, against the multicultural makeup of the French team, with 17 of 23 players . Take another step back and you may find reasons to forgive if not absolve Croatia: What is a measure of young tribal nationalism compared to the of France’s imperial history?
