Dear Editor,

It is not surprising that Jamaicans have been keenly following the current World Cup.

The World Cup is Earth’s biggest sporting spectacle and Jamaicans know a good thing. What amazes me, however, is the extent to which so many people are intensely passionate about it and get carried away with the hype and excitement. People who have never played the game at any level are ardent fans of various distant national teams. It has become the norm for exuberant fans to have jubilant celebrations after certain teams win, vociferous arguments between fans of opposing teams, shed real tears when certain teams lose, and make bets on the results of certain games. Fans on social media have a field day and even in the local print media a columnist wrote a broadside against popular football country Argentina.

Many Jamaicans show loyalty to their favoured teams, quite similar to how they show political loyalty, with banners, graffiti, wearing of certain colours and sundry related paraphernalia. The national flags of teams are everywhere, including on every sort of motorised transportation, hand carts, bicycles, and even on tombs and graves. Even the dead are included in the excitement. Presumably the deceased were ardent fans in life and even now in death.

Flags representing African teams in the World Cup are noticeably missing. In this land of Marcus Garvey, Rastafari, and Bob Marley, which prides itself on African consciousness, it seems odd that this was not extended to football, the beautiful game. Perhaps Jamaicans prefer to cheer for the many black players on European and South American teams but not the teams from Africa. Strange.

While the World Cup provides great entertainment and welcome relief from the many unpleasant realities, Jamaicans will gain more if we see this as a learning opportunity. Some lessons include punctuality and time management; the importance of exercise and physical fitness; the balance between individual skills and teamwork; respect for authority and the rules; winning with grace and losing with dignity; as well as appreciation for the monumental levels of effort, resources, and organisation to make such a massive tournament a reality among so many others.

For the many who claim to be loyalists to various foreign teams, perhaps they could consider learning something about the flags they proudly display, their colours and meaning. They could even learn to find where on a map their adopted country is located as well as basic facts about them. They could also learn basic words and phrases in the language of national teams that do not speak English to show the depth of their loyalty and devotion beyond mere chants, blowing of horns, and flag waving. With the mass availability of the internet, many Jamaican fans could learn so much about the foreign countries and players they claim to admire.

Jamaica is not alone in being ardent fans of football teams that are not their own. Football has the extraordinary power of creating an international fan base, unlike other sports. Even so, it would be more profitable if our people seek to use these opportunities to learn something and benefit other than just being involved in the hype and excitement.

Duane Harris

doharris@hotmail.com