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THERE WAS A lot of doom and gloom ahead of the World Cup. Although hosted jointly by Canada, Mexico and the United States, the pessimism internationally focused on the latter. Given the multiple outrages we have witnessed during President Donald Trump’s second term in the Oval Office, this is understandable.
Revulsion at Trump 2.0, which has precipitated a decline in the number of foreign visitors to the US, together with extortionate pricing for match tickets and hotel accommodation, led observers to forecast that this event would be a very serious let down and to question why it was being held primarily in a jurisdiction that remains relatively immune to the appeal of “the beautiful game.”
For instance, this writer will never be able to describe it as football because football is a very different game to me both as an American reared on a steady diet of our version of the sport at professional, collegiate and high school levels – and subsequently, as an Irishman obsessed with the GAA and passionate about Galway football (still recovering from last weekend’s defeat to the Dubs).
So it was with real trepidation that keen and casual onlookers anticipated the World Cup. The collective mood was further depressed by reports of some travelling fans experiencing difficulty entering the US and the appalling treatment of a Somalian referee who was turned away by immigration officials, despite his having a diplomatic passport and a valid single-entry visa. One of my concerns was that it would heighten already widespread anti-American sentiment globally.
To be sure, the staging hasn’t been perfect. Much of that revolves around the almighty buck. Even as the greatest share of the blame for the confiscatory charges to attend matches lies with FIFA, it does reinforce perceptions that America is increasingly a country made for the 1%, by the 1%. There were many in the US, including the operators of public transit, who availed of the opportunity to, frankly, rip off a captive audience with little choice but to pay the piper.
Plenty of supporters who were asked admitted to taking out huge loans and spending five figure sums to embark upon the journey of a lifetime. Certainly, loads of their friends and families couldn’t afford to do so. Similarly, in America, where just about every team who qualified has a sizeable diaspora, countless fans stateside were denied an unforgettable day or days out. This may be the way things are, yet it absolutely should not be.
All of that said, most of us, and those lucky enough to have made it to the other side of the Atlantic in particular, have been pleasantly surprised by how well it has gone. While there have been debates, some jocular and others mean-spirited, raging on social media about cultural differences regarding air conditioning, cuisine, tipping, etc, the overwhelming reaction has been positive.
Speaking again personally, as a Bostonian whose late mother emigrated from Scotland to the city as a young woman, the most heart-warming words and images for me emanated from cherished local territory. To say that the capital of Irish America took the Scottish in the last month is a massive understatement. Were it three decades ago, I suspect our house would have been the headquarters for many guests from Bellshill, my Mum’s hometown.
The story of Mike Morrison – whose post on X of a crew of Scots waking up residents, like him, in close proximity to their Airbnb with the playing of bagpipes at 6.30 AM went viral – is proof that truth is often more extraordinary than fiction. Morrison befriended his temporary neighbours and cooked them breakfast one morning before they went on the beer. He swiftly morphed into a celebrity, was given tickets to matches in Boston and Miami, and has been adopted by the Tartan Army. He now intends to go to Scotland, where he will be greeted enthusiastically and reunited with his new pals.
Scenes of sheer exuberance, such as Boston police officers donning Scottish jerseys and showing off their soccer skills, were broadcast repeatedly on social and traditional media. Full page ads were taken out in both the Boston Globe and The Herald of Scotland with messages of thanks and appreciation. On foot of all this, Boston and Glasgow have formed a Sister City partnership, and there are plans for annual friendly competitions and collaborations in business, culture and education.
As a destination, Boston may have won the World Cup, to paraphrase one newspaper headline, but the nice vibes percolated far beyond. There has been an abundance of first-hand testimonies from fans who professed simultaneously that they were quite nervous going to the US and that it then exceeded all of their expectations. As one backer of the England squad aptly noted, “If you want to hate America, turn on the TV. If you want to love America, drive through it.”
There is a bigger point. Many millions see a US today that they don’t recognise any longer and, in some cases, thoroughly despise. It makes me extremely sad when I hear these views from Irish people, especially in light of our ties.
And yes, America is currently in a very tough spot. Crucially, Donald Trump is a symptom, not the cause, of all that ails it. The magnitude of the problems is outlined in this space regularly.
But the US is still a good place. Across its vast expanse, dedicated, decent citizens, in the genuine sense of that term, are working constantly to improve it.
Some of them, with whom a clear majority of us disagree intensely, voted for President Trump. Contrary political preferences, which can be fleeting, do not make those who have them or the country they have so much pride in bad. Soccer aficionados from every corner of the planet have been discovering, or rediscovering, that fact.
No matter who ultimately prevails, my hope is that the rest of the tournament proceeds as smoothly and joyously as it has to date. If it does, it will have been at least a partly redeeming moment for the United States of America as celebrations of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence continue.
Larry Donnelly is a Boston lawyer, a Law Lecturer at the University of Galway and a political columnist with TheJournal.ie.
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