Football: A Religion

Growing up in a household where sports is a big deal, football has always been more than just a sport for me. However, I don’t think I ever realized just how much of a big deal it can be. Because of recent occurrences, I have come to the conclusion that football is a religion. At least, for most Germans.

I have learned that World Cup viewing parties are just as important as the World Cup itself. On Tuesday night, a group of us got together to watch the USA v. Belgium match and cheer for USA. I want to take a moment to talk about the USA team and their headers. USA team: use your feet, those headers ain’t working for you. Fun fact: USA’s goalkeeper made the most saves in a match in World Cup history. GO ‘MURICA.

USA v. Belgium viewing party

Accurate representation of all our personalities

My lab-mates had told me that it was very brave of me to support USA during the World Cup, and after USA lost 1-2, I walked into lab Wednesday morning ready to take whatever mockery they were going to hit me with. I went into lab around 9 AM which is usually when most grad students show up. With an exception of one grad student who is currently working on his thesis, no one else was there. We went into lab hoping the others would show up eventually, but until lunch time, it was just us two in the entire Technical Physics department. Every day after lunch, we all drink coffee together in the conference room but considering no one else had showed up, we just decided to have our after-lunch coffee in our office. I was sitting in my office, drinking coffee, and discussing the Germany v. France game with the grad student when three people I work with showed up.

Them: Numa. Why are you here?
Me: …to work? Why I’m at work?
Them: Yes. Why are you at work?
Me: To work. I’m at work to work.

They shook their head as if I had done something terribly wrong by showing up to work, pulled up chairs and sat down next to me. The only thought going on in my head at the time was, “was I fired?” Needless to say, I was freaking out. With a very stern expression on his face, one of the grad students reached into his backpack and pulled out shitty American beer for all of them. He said, “we’re on your side.” I was, of course, as confused as ever.

Them: It doesn’t matter that USA can’t play football. We’re on your side.

It took a good five minutes for me to register what was going on, and I started laughing uncontrollably. My laughter disappointed them. They spent the next 30 minutes explaining to me how football is more than just a game. Football is a lifestyle. Football is a religion. They told me that they were disappointed that in my month here, I haven’t learned that. They said that it doesn’t matter how much I learn about quantum dots or spectroscopy because I can learn all the Physics I want back in Austin. What I can’t learn is the German culture and lifestyle. I can’t learn that football is a religion back in Austin. They told me that they were disappointed that I showed up to work. According to them, I should have taken the day off to mourn the loss of USA. They said they all showed up late to support me in my mourning. They also said that we must trash all the Belgium beer they got on Monday because we must abandon all things Belgium to support USA.

So we did. We trashed beer. We mourned. We chanted. Then, we took rest of the day off.

Happy Fourth of July, y’all. GO ‘MURICA.