Why Santa Cruz should be interested in the World Cup

The World Cup is right around the corner, and I fear many Santa Cruz County residents are not ready yet. We're here to fix that. Why is this important to you? If you're not paying attention, you'll miss out on a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see global superstars on US fields. Stars such as Lionel Messi, Argentine legend, Portuguese icon Cristiano Ronaldo and Nordic Viking Erling Haaland. We will have 48 teams and 104 matches throughout the United States, Mexico and Canada. The first match will take place on June 11 and the final on July 19. Prediction: it will be unforgettable. And, wait, did I mention Christian Pulisic? Remember this name. He's Team USA's great hope, a forward from Hershey, Pennsylvania who now plays for AC Milan, the European giants. If he performs well and leads the US deep into the playoffs, you'll want to be a part of it. This will be the main theme of the summer. Pulisic's height is a great place to explain the beauty of football. His height is 1.73 m, which is more or less average. Messi, the Argentine magician who is considered the greatest footballer of all time, is 1.70 m tall and weighs 67 kg. Football rewards skill, speed, team play and intelligence. This is a game for everyone. Now take a look at this week's NBA Finals. Players there are significantly taller than 1.80 m, and San Antonio Spurs star center Victor Vembayama is 2.24 m tall (there are suggestions that he is even taller!). Jalen Brunson, the Knicks' mascot, is an exception at just 1.88m tall.Exceptional and unusual height is a basic requirement to play professional basketball. And in football? The average height and weight of an NFL player is 1.88 m and 111 kg. Of course, it varies by position, and it's not uncommon for offensive linemen to exceed 300 pounds. Football and basketball reward extreme height and size. Football is for everyone else. If you have some time to spare before the first match next week (Mexico vs South Africa in Mexico City), check out some of Messi's highlights on YouTube. His skills are amazing: he goes past defending players and hits defenders on goal. His acting feels like magic, like something out of a video game. Pulisic's best moments are also mesmerizing, although of course they are slightly lower than Messi's. However, you are watching an average sized person play. It could be you! Another reason to embrace football, at least this summer, is that it is the world's game. We are a little limited in the choice of sports. The month-long tournament attracts about 5 billion viewers, essentially the entire planet, with the France-Argentina final in 2022 attracting about 1.4 billion viewers for at least part of the match, according to Statista. The last Super Bowl drew 123 million viewers in the US and another 62 million overseas. It's not comparable. Football (“soccer” to the rest of the world) is popular in large part because it is played everywhere. The requirements are minimal - a field and a round ball.Many of the world's most iconic players - Pele, Maradona, Messi, Ronaldo - come from very humble backgrounds. Messi's father worked in a steel mill, and his mother in a magnet manufacturing workshop. Pele, the late Brazilian great, practiced in the streets by kicking socks stuffed with newspapers or grapefruits. So, yes, football is democratic, accepting players of all sizes, and, yes, it is played in rich and poor countries. It is the common language on every continent. But the game's greatest feature is its beauty and the enthusiasm it inspires. I became a fan myself decades ago while watching an England match in a London pub. I have never seen such a crazy hobby. Later I organized trips around Europe around the World Cup and European Championships, watching matches in crowded pubs. I attended matches in England, Germany and dozens in Seattle, one of the first US markets to catch the fever. If football had a slogan, it would be "O Jogo Bonito", a Portuguese expression meaning "the beautiful game", a phrase popularized by Pele. Football is a global sport, and the World Cup is its signature event. And this time we are hosting it, together with our neighbors. The final, which will take place on July 19, will be held at MetLife Stadium. The whole world will be watching. Join us now. Time is running out.