Why The World Cup Doesn’t Interest Me

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By Rachel Ang, 21, Singapore

I have never been interested in soccer.

It is not a sign of femininity, of that I am sure. A number of my girl friends have posters of players in their rooms, and they actually keep up with the scores of the teams in this year’s World Cup. Me? I would rather spend my night snoring soundly in bed than screaming excitedly in front of a television set. I’m sure that there is at least SOMEONE reading this article that agrees with me.

Bear with my grousing, even if you don’t understand my apathy. Without intending to offend any soccer fans, I present you three points to explain my disinterest:

One. I don’t understand the game. It’s hard to follow a game on television when you don’t know most of the rules. I certainly don’t enjoy playing it either. I can kick well enough and hard enough, but it’s pretty much a matter of time before I’m forced to choose between keeping either the ball in my possession or my face out of the dirt.

Two. I don’t see how it affects my life. Well, okay, it DOES affect me. It’s hard to ignore when people a wall away from me start screaming while I’m on the brink of sleep. Apart from this discomfort that gives me a reason to wish the sport did not exist, I have survived 21 years thus far without being dependent on soccer for a reason to live.

Three. I don’t get how people could die for it. As if it wasn’t bad enough that people LIVED for it! The thought of all the betting, off-field corruption and bribes that happen around the game is distressing. To top it off, the murder of Columbia’s Andrés Escobar Saldarriaga because of the own goal he scored in the 1994 World Cup convinces me that the bad far outweighs the virtue of having this sport around.

And then I realized that these reasons could relate to Christianity as well. From a non-believer’s point of view, these are a few reasons (among others) not to subscribe to the faith.

They don’t understand it. Perhaps nobody has actually taken the time to sit down and explain how the whole thing about creation, sin, salvation and resurrection works out. Christians easily get used to big words and concepts like “revelation”, “sanctification” and the Holy Trinity. It becomes a challenge to put it into simple terms that a child can grasp.

They don’t understand how it affects their lives. So, what does it matter to me if a dude died on a cross 2,000 years ago? Why should I give up doing things that I like just because this ancient book says it’s wrong? Why should I change my way of life for a rumour?

They don’t understand how people can die for it. Many, many members of the early church died spreading the word of the Gospel. Except for John, all the other apostles were martyred for their faith. For an unbeliever who doesn’t recognize its power, it seems ridiculous for Paul to take joy in his chains for Christ, or for him to declare, “For to me, living means living for Christ, and dying is even better” (Philippians 1:21).

So what do we do from here? While we keep in mind that it is only by the Holy Spirit that anyone can be saved, we are to also remember Peter’s instructions, “And if someone asks about your Christian hope, always be ready to explain it. But do this in a gentle and respectful way” (1 Peter 3:15b-16a). The World Cup only takes place once every four years, but believers cannot wait to share the gospel only when it comes around! We should be prepared to testify in love for our Lord—in and out of the soccer season.

Our testimony of Christ doesn’t only take place in our words, but also in the way we live. Peter continues, “Keep your conscience clear. Then if people speak against you, they will be ashamed when they see what a good life you live because you belong to Christ” (1 Peter 3:16b). Even while preparing yourself to give explanations for your faith to a non-believer, let it be even more evident in your life how and why Christ is worth living and dying for.

The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction!
But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God.
1 Corinthians 1:18