Yes, I do realize I said football. No, I am not talking about American football, I am talking about soccer. But, since the rest of the world calls it football and this is about the world's game, I'm going to call it football. Football is more than a game. Football is a culture, it's a family, it's the beautiful game. It's hard to explain if you aren't a part of it, but if you are then you know what I'm talking about. People can say "It's just a game" all they want, but they're wrong. Football is a lifestyle that you can either choose to embrace or disregard.
No other situation reminds me of this than the recent plane crash of Colombian football club Chapecoense. This was a tragic event in many ways. On their way to play the first leg of the Copa Sudamericana, their plane crashed killing all but a few players and coaches. Chapecoense had risen from the bottom division all the way to the top and were about to play in a cup final until the tragedy. Hearing this news around the world, football clubs gathered together to mourn. Young players, some who had recently become fathers or were soon to become fathers, lost their lives.
Sadly, this is not the first time something like this has happened. Too often before, similar tragedies have occurred. But, with them came similar reactions of football clubs coming together to mourn and help out in any way they could. However, this tragedy was even more astounding since Chapecoense had gone from nobodies to near champions. In a wonderful gesture by the other club, they granted Chapecoense the cup final without playing the game. On top of that, other clubs have offered to loan their players to the Chapecoense for free to help rebuild their squad and get them back on their feet after the tragedy. To top it off, world class footballer Ronaldinho has offered to come play for them for free as well.
So, when I say football is a family, it really is. Through all the rivalries and turmoil that may go on, football really is one big family. They understand each other, they live the life of football because they chose to. They know that they must help out others to keep this lifestyle going and to keep class in football. It's a beautiful thing to see other clubs reach out their hands and help pull Chapecoense back up, I suppose that's why it's called the beautiful game. For those of us who understand football, we understand the family and the lifestyle. But for those of us who don't, I hope that you can see what football is all about at least. Football, it's more than a game.
