The Beautiful Game

The most important event this past week was the World Cup. It is touted as the world's largest single sporting event, and with good cause. I have heard statistics that well over 1 billion people watch the final live when it is played and I'm sure the statistic rises every time, and at a greater rate than population increase. Unfortunately, today's globalized world means that although you can watch a game on television live, it may be at an inconvenient time. Accordingly, the final was played at 04:30 Monday morning Canberra time.

I woke up to watch the game and went down to Fenner Hall's large TV room where many others had gathered. We all watched intently as the Spanish national team, Los Rojas (The Reds) took on the Clockwork Orange of the Netherlands. I gathered from the responses of the crowd that most of my fellow Fennerites were cheering for Spain, which put me in a minority. The Dutch had been to the World Cup twice before and I thought it was time they deserved to win. As you may know, the game was rather disappointing and neither team played with any vigour, as well as giving the referee plenty of excuses to bring out the cards. At the end of the first half, feeling the TV room was too crowded, I went upstairs to my room and watched the game on my computer. ANU has a website which lets you watch certain channels on the computer. The second half was much like the first, though there were a few more opportunities. Eventually, in overtime, at the 116th minute, the Spanish managed to get one past the Dutch keeper and hoisted the World Cup. Spain was the Number 1 team in the world so I can't fault them for winning, but I did hope the Dutch would pull through. I suspect many South Africans, particularly the Afrikaaners (descendants of Dutch immigrants), were cheering the Clockwork Orange. Well, all that's left is to wait another 4 years to see who makes it in Brazil.

Here's an interesting connection between Spain and Holland you might not know about. In the Dutch national anthem, it mentions that Prince (later King) William of Orange pledges his loyalty to the King of Spain. This may sound bizarre, and in a way it is, but the Netherlands were once part of Spain, and were in fact called the Spanish Netherlands. For its part, the Spanish national anthem is the only one in the world without words. There were words originally when the anthem was written in the 1970s or 1980s but they were dismissed for being too nationalistic. Which begs the question, isn't it alright for a national anthem to be nationalistic?

I was pleased to read on the internet a review of Ottawa by a visiting American travel writer. He called the city "unselfconsciously cool" and that it is a far cry from its other motto, "the city that never wakes." I have noticed that many travel books have made mention of the fact that Ottawa really has quite a lot to offer and that it's reputation, while perhaps originally justified, is no longer deserved. I hope this is taken on board by tourists and other Canadians.

Finally, PM Julia Gillard has called an election for August 21st in what will become an epic battle of the leaders. It will be a chance for voters to decide if Julia is fit enough to be given a proper mandate or if the manner of her ascent makes her undeserving. I've never been in Australia for an election but I can't wait until things really get going. Elections are always so much fun. I am pleased to see that the CBC is reporting this story as well and I do anticipate some coverage, if the last election is anything to go by. I think Australia is coming out of its shell of obscurity, which will no doubt delight the author Bill Bryson who mentioned this obscurity in his book In a Sunburned Country/Down Under.