Shifting Lenses

The summer of the USA World Cup has come and gone. It was exciting. I enjoyed watching the games, but I especially liked hearing about the fans from around the world who visited our country.

Scotland’s Tartan Army received a huge amount of media coverage as they made their way to Boston and Miami, bagpipes in hand. It was their first World Cup since 1998, and they made the best of it.

Then there was Norway and their signature “Viking Row.” We watched fans row in the stadium, on the streets, and even on the Today show. Erling Haaland genuinely seemed to enjoy his time in Texas, taking advantage of photo ops with boots and hats. I was in Texas all summer, and I can tell you firsthand: Texans became Erling Haaland fans even if they had never heard of him before.

My personal favorite was the human statue, Michel Kuka Mboladinga, aka “Lumumba Lives.” During DR Congo matches, he stood on a pedestal motionless for the entire match, with one arm raised. He was replicating a statue of Lumumba, the Congolese independence leader and first prime minister of independent Congo, who was assassinated in 1961.

They talk about sports bringing cultures together, but this was one of the first times I personally witnessed that cultural exchange, and it felt real and authentic. I learned things about the cultures and histories of countries like DR Congo. I feel like we got to know what people around the world think is fun and funny. Of course, it was just a small sample of each country’s population, but it was still fun to see.

I hope it left people wanting to learn more about these countries and sparked curiosity that will last beyond this summer. I didn’t make it to a game, but I still feel like the World Cup was a big part of my summer, and I won’t forget the cultural exposure we all enjoyed.