I LOVE World Cup! I’m watching my third match so far…first was Mexico (w) v. Iran, second was Angola v. Portugal (w), and now is USA v. Czech Republic. Four years ago, six months into our relationship, N. and I watched the WC on an outrageous big screen TV at a friend’s house, with the luxurious benefit of Tivo. Now I have the pleasure of a T-Mobile-sponsored outdoor patio set up specifically for viewing the WC while dining at the Belgian Beer Café, a well-known Debrecen locale for dining and drinking.

I’m trying my best to consume a Stella Artois, but I just don’t have the palate for beer with a bitter aftertaste. I know it makes me less hip…but it just isn’t in me. The Hungarian wines, however, are another story.

Just five minutes in, and we have a yellow card and the Czech Republic already scored…aack!

Football (“foci” in Hungarian – for all intents and purposes, pronounced “footsie”) is not a sport I particularly enjoy for 47 months out of every 48, perhaps because I do not have a team to support. It is not the sport that disinterests me, so it must be the American presentation. I do not possess a lot of American pride these days; I just don’t believe that our choices, both domestic and foreign, have shown much wisdom in my lifetime. Nonetheless, there is something very simple and pure about sporting events that are divided by country. It is as if you are allowed a moment of untarnished regional support…a reverence for shared experience and shared desire, minus any agendas or dire consequences (in theory).

As I spectate this global sporting event in Germany, I am reminded of the horror of the Munich Olympics – the absolute lack of respect and the unnecessary loss of life was devastating enough in its own right, but the fact that they destroyed the “cease fire” immunity of international sporting events was even worse.

Thirty-seven minutes and another Czech goal…sigh. Perhaps I should stop multi-tasking and focus my positive energy toward the team.

Egészségedre!