No Alarms and No Surprises

This was all supposed to mean something that would influence your life for the better, wasn’t it? I’m sorry that, despite my optimism, in the end it didn’t. It was supposed to provide definition, allow moments of clarity, moments you could show your grandchildren with pride. It didn’t. It had its moments, but they were not enough. The drama, the theatrics, all were intermingled with such an overbearing sentiment of hatred. I watched and waited, hoping to find the beauty in the rain of relentless negativity. All that came was nostalgia.

I remember when football, to me, became illuminated. I was 13, sitting at home after a sick day from school. There stood Ronaldinho, wearing the number 10 for Barcelona against AC Milan, with his power and his genius on show in every stride. He was an absolutely translucent figure, paradoxically carrying an incessant dissatisfaction with imperfections while bestowing the capability to create a passion, an endless ocean of positivity for all to see and share. There was a moment during today’s match, when I asked myself if the 13-year-old kid, the one that watched ‘dinho create an inch of space out of nothing to score a winner in the dying minutes, would be able to begin a life of love for the game based on the product on the soggy Camp Nou pitch? It wouldn’t. Not even close. The quality was there to be seen on the slick blades of grass. The soul, however, was buried far beneath. But we all knew that was the case beforehand.

With one exception. Eric Abidal’s reception was rare in its purity. A man, teased with death, experiencing the exponential heights of life we will likely never feel; it was outstanding moment, a celebration of the sheer magnitude of football and the sense of satisfaction it can provide. But with a structure built on lost potential, capitalistic altruism, tragic heros, and immoral legends, football can and will fall short. Get used to it. If you cannot stick with those few moments of joy you had when you were learning to love, then the relationship will never be worth it.