Day -525. WorldCup2018
We took down our Christmas tree today. It's always a sad day in our Christmas loving family when that day arrives. It's all over for another year. On the other hand we counter the sadness with the happiness of having the space vacated by the tree back and the house returned to its normal self. We feel everything is in order, ready to start the new year.
Now you knew a football analogy was coming. In the days before the year round football season (not an official thing, but pretty much a done thing) I always had bittersweet feelings when the FA Cup Final was on or the European Cup final. Not that a 12 year old knew what bittersweet was but there was a feeling: happy but oh no at the same time. The Cup finals were an occasion, more than they seem to be now. There was excitement and anticipation just like there was for Christmas. A significant reason for that was probably the knowledge that this was the climax of the football season and there wouldn't be anything like it for a while. I think I even remember hoping the matches would go to extra time and wishing they would never be over. And when they did finish that was it for a few months. No football at all, very little mention of it until the summer was over. Unless it was a World Cup or European Championship year.
Even with a World Cup it seemed like there was a huge gap. It was just a brief interlude in a summer of no football. Nowadays with the Europa League and Champions League qualifying starting the day after the previous season has ended, and the Copa America or Confederations Cup on TV there always seems to be something on. However, the World Cup hangover still exists for me.
The World Cup is a special event. Players moan about having to play so many international matches, fans argue that they care more about the club teams they support and club owners worry about their products being damaged while playing for their national teams. But I still think it is the ultimate. A big part of that must be because my passion started with the 1982 World Cup. I love that all these teams are together playing each other in such unlikely match-ups: Brazil vs New Zealand, Germany vs Saudi Arabia, England vs Cameroon. And it is intense, so many matches in a short amount of time. And the surprises and unusual incidents, and the fans and the colour and the songs. There is a huge build up of excitement in the final week: all the madness has calmed down and now it's down to the serious business of the four best teams battling it out to be in the Final. And then the it's just two; and there are days of no football where there seems nothing else to do but wonder why the Sunday won't come sooner, and what's going to happen: will it be a classic, will there be lots of goals, will there be a new hero or will one of the expected heroes justify their stardom? And in a little corner of the brain there may be a look ahead to the Monday. And a little bit of dread sets in. But the excitement quickly silences that voice.
Within no time it is Monday. All the fun is over. Now what? When does the Tour de France start? Wimbledon? Which club will the new-found stars of the World Cup join? And, as a consolation, when does the new season start?
Christmas comes by again after ten and a half months, if like us you start in November. The World Cup has four years of anticipation. I don't want the house to be back in order. I want it to start all over again. Maybe a countdown 1000 days in advance would keep some excitement going.
We took down our Christmas tree today. It's always a sad day in our Christmas loving family when that day arrives. It's all over for another year. On the other hand we counter the sadness with the happiness of having the space vacated by the tree back and the house returned to its normal self. We feel everything is in order, ready to start the new year.
Now you knew a football analogy was coming. In the days before the year round football season (not an official thing, but pretty much a done thing) I always had bittersweet feelings when the FA Cup Final was on or the European Cup final. Not that a 12 year old knew what bittersweet was but there was a feeling: happy but oh no at the same time. The Cup finals were an occasion, more than they seem to be now. There was excitement and anticipation just like there was for Christmas. A significant reason for that was probably the knowledge that this was the climax of the football season and there wouldn't be anything like it for a while. I think I even remember hoping the matches would go to extra time and wishing they would never be over. And when they did finish that was it for a few months. No football at all, very little mention of it until the summer was over. Unless it was a World Cup or European Championship year.
Even with a World Cup it seemed like there was a huge gap. It was just a brief interlude in a summer of no football. Nowadays with the Europa League and Champions League qualifying starting the day after the previous season has ended, and the Copa America or Confederations Cup on TV there always seems to be something on. However, the World Cup hangover still exists for me.
The World Cup is a special event. Players moan about having to play so many international matches, fans argue that they care more about the club teams they support and club owners worry about their products being damaged while playing for their national teams. But I still think it is the ultimate. A big part of that must be because my passion started with the 1982 World Cup. I love that all these teams are together playing each other in such unlikely match-ups: Brazil vs New Zealand, Germany vs Saudi Arabia, England vs Cameroon. And it is intense, so many matches in a short amount of time. And the surprises and unusual incidents, and the fans and the colour and the songs. There is a huge build up of excitement in the final week: all the madness has calmed down and now it's down to the serious business of the four best teams battling it out to be in the Final. And then the it's just two; and there are days of no football where there seems nothing else to do but wonder why the Sunday won't come sooner, and what's going to happen: will it be a classic, will there be lots of goals, will there be a new hero or will one of the expected heroes justify their stardom? And in a little corner of the brain there may be a look ahead to the Monday. And a little bit of dread sets in. But the excitement quickly silences that voice.
Within no time it is Monday. All the fun is over. Now what? When does the Tour de France start? Wimbledon? Which club will the new-found stars of the World Cup join? And, as a consolation, when does the new season start?
Christmas comes by again after ten and a half months, if like us you start in November. The World Cup has four years of anticipation. I don't want the house to be back in order. I want it to start all over again. Maybe a countdown 1000 days in advance would keep some excitement going.
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