Soccer SuperFans

By: Laura Noel Garcia, Toronto

Pure and simple, the World Cup is about sharing emotion.

Joy, grief, anticipation and pride.

For me, watching soccer is one of the strongest bond-builders that can involve a TV. The most facinating thing for me about this World Cup will be watching it play out in the most interconnected world we've ever known. Multiplying and extending the bonds without limit. In a city like Toronto there are almost infinite ways to experience it, since it's one of the most multi-cultural cities in the world.

I'll cheer for many teams this June - Brazil, Spain and Cote d'Ivoire - but never in the same way I'll jump and holler for Uruguay.

This is something I'm sure not other Superfans are able to do, but that's the special beauty of living in a city like Toronto. But let's not tell that to my family back home. :)

Now, here's a bit about me and what watching Uruguay play means to me.

In South America, soccer - football - is life. So the saying goes and so I thought I understood it. It sounds pretty simple. I played as a kid and loved it. I watched games alongside my dad and grandpa, cheering with them and learning the deep roots of the pressure on Uruguayan footballers to succeed and revive the former strength of our team. Since my teen years, I've followed the World Cup regardless of the time difference or how far my team made it - I was always delighted to seize the opportunity to make friends with strangers from around the world. Until this winter, I really didn't know why or how I loved the game so much. But then, this past December I returned to Montevideo for the first time as an adult only to understand everything more clearly.

In some families, soccer is an integral part to the connection of each member, but to everyone in Uruguay the game of football is a personal experience that everyone shares together.  

I had the chance to watch a match between Uruguay's two most popular teams: Penarol
and Nacional. Never have I seen such passionate fans. The raw energy and devotion I saw in Montevideo - at a meaningless summer exhibition tournament rivalled the pride that swept Canada as Crosby brought us the gold just a few months later.