En route to Cape Town, South Africa, for a special edition of The Sport Market on TEAM 1040 and teamradio.ca this Saturday, July 3rd, I don't have to be more than half my way there to already understand how big that world of soccer really is...and how front and centre soccer is pretty well everywhere but in the North America we share with the United States.
I saw it in my stopover at Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam, which like much of the Netherlands is painted orange during the month-long global party known as the 2010 FIFA World Cup. There are images of Dutch star Arjen Robben everywhere as the Dutch prepare to face Brazil in what should be an oustanding quarter-final match at Nelson Mandela Bay in Port Elizabeth tomorrow night.
I saw it yesterday on Emirates flight #146, where in-flight entertainment options included Round of 16 matches featuring Paraguay-Japan and Spain-Portugal. Of course, the official airline of the World Cup was also promoting its sponsorship with FIFA logos on its in-flight magazine and in departure lounges.
Yet I saw it more than I expected when that Boeing 777 landed at 12:15 a.m. Dubai time for an early start to my Canada Day.
I'm more than familiar with how the United Arab Emirates is striving to define its place on the world stage by working to host big events in big venues with big ambitions, in both Dubai and Abu Dhabi. It's a big sport business story, slowed somewhat by the global economic recession and debt crunch of the past two years, but certainly far from stopped.
I get the emerging connection between this part of the world and soccer through Manchester City of the Barclays English Premier League, given ownership of that club by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed of Abu Dhabi. I understand that's why a new annual scholarship program for four Emirati players to train at City is front page news in The National, the newspaper published by Abu Dhabi Media Company. It's no surprise that full page tabloid space is accorded the upcoming transfer of Spanish national David Silva from Valencia to none other than Sheikh Mansour's Manchester City.
I was surprised, however, to see the extent of attention today in Dubai on what was happening this historic month in South Africa.
It's one thing to see it loud and proud in Amsterdam, where the Dutch are not only among the 32 nations to qualify for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, they're living up to their contender status by reaching the fever pitch of the quarter-finals. The UAE nor any other Arab nation made it to South Africa. Despite that, it is everywhere here, from hotel bars and restaurants theming their menus around the teams du jour to video boards with result updates and airport signage promoting Dubai's own World Cup bid for 2022.
It's just a valuable reminder about the weight the global game carries. It has always played sports king in Europe, but it is also the prevailing national passion in South America, Africa and increasingly so in Asia. It is in the top three in Australia and Oceania alongside rugby and cricket.
It is only in North America where it does not hold that kind of podium status outside of those with strong connections to soccer through their heritage and roots elsewhere...and that's true in both the U.S. and Canada.
Nothing will challenge hockey as the sport which most defines us, at least for this generation and likely the next and the next after that. Same goes for the U.S. and the sport culture it has built around football, baseball and basketball.
What stands out to me on this Canada Day 2010, however, is that two things are clearly happening: Canada is becoming a bigger place through immigration and the status of cities such as Vancouver as Pacific Gateways and the world is becoming a smaller place through technology, internet and social media.
With those trends, the global game has made -- and is making -- inroads in both Canada and the U.S. and I believe it will continue to gain traction among future generations of Canadians and Americans. Without the club system inherent in Europe, it will be baby steps, but steps nonetheless to share in the global currency that is soccer.
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