The Victory of Success; the Agony of Defeat In the World Cup (and of course, other games), unless a tie occurs, there’s a winner and loser. When a team wins, the players are ecstatic. After the game they run around the field, hug and kiss each other, and wave to their overjoyed fans. If they’re good sportsmen, they’ll shake the hands of their opponents and sometimes even exchange shirts (sweat-drenched and all). On the other hand, the losing team is devastated. Some players are so sad they stay in the same spot for a while. Dejected, other players hang their head down with disappointment. Others cry and they comfort each other, while their fans look on in disbelief and disappointment. If the players are good sports, they’ll shake the hands of their rivals, too. This week, during the semi finals Italy beat Germany (2-0) by scoring two rigorous goals in the last three minutes of the overtime game. The Italy team and their fans were extremely happy. The German team and their fans looked inconsolable. During the France vs. Portugal game, France won by making a upsetting goal (1-0). The Portugal team and their fans were sad. Watching the games, it’s dawned on me that the feelings an author experiences are similar to the ones team players go through after playing the Beautiful Game. When an author completes a manuscript (or even a page or a chapter), meets a deadline – when a publisher offers a contract, or readers like the story, the author feels victorious.   It’s like kicking that ball past the goalie and landing it into the net. GOAL!!! GOAL!!! GOAL!!! Very exciting!

A few things I like about the Beautiful Game during the World Cup:

• I like to see everyone — men, women, children — get together and cheer for their favorite team.

• I like to see the fans’ enthusiasm.

• I like that there’s always the opportunity for something unexpected and fantastic to happen — like the team from Ghana making and unpredictable and upsetting win over a favored and more experienced team.

• I like to watch before the start of the game, when the children lead the players out to the field. They come out hand-in-hand. The players are nervous and it’s interesting to see how they react with the children. Some pay attention to the kids, while others ignore them till it’s time to grab their hands and march out into the stadium.

• I like to see some of the traditions the players perform on the field. For example, some kiss the ground when they step on the field for the first time. Others kiss the ground after their team has scored a goal…

• I like to see how excited both players become after they score a goal. All these men hugging and kissing on each other.

• I love to watch how hard each team plays to win.

• I love to watch the opposing teams show good sportmanship when they hug, congratulate each other, and trade team shirts after a game.

What I hate about the Beautiful Game:

• I hate to see the players spit. Do they have to spit? It’s so disgusting and unsightly! And I don’t know why the cameraman feels the necessity to focus on this gross behavior. Uggh!

• Agressive fans who fight and do and say horrid things. Not cool at all. Very sad!

Paz Edwards