I was never a fan of football, To be honest, I didn’t even understand what people enjoyed about it but my father was a die-hard fan whenever there was a match nothing else mattered to him, No visitor, no family program and no distraction could come between him and his football time, I used to get really annoyed because It felt like football took over his whole life, I never thought I would ever understand that kind of love for a game.
But life has a funny way of teaching us lessons, after getting married I discovered that my husband was also a big football lover, I felt like history was repeating itself, at first, I tried to ignore it but over time I started joining him just to keep him company, Little by little, I began to pick interest, he would patiently explain every term to me things like offside, free kick, penalty, and even how the leagues worked, I started realizing that football wasn’t just a game, it was a world of its own.
That was when I began to understand why people go crazy during tournaments like the World Cup or the Olympics, the joy, excitement, and passion are something words can’t fully describe even though countries spend billions to host such events, I don’t see them as a waste, these events bring people together in ways that nothing else can, during a big match, everyone forgets their problems and differences, people from different places, languages and religions unite to cheer for their teams, for a while the world feels like one big family.
Many times, people argue that the money used for hosting international sporting events should be spent on things like education, health, or roads, I understand that view but I believe sports also add value in a different way, when a country hosts a big event it creates thousands of jobs, from building stadiums to hotels, transportation, and tourism, a lot of people benefit financially.
Sports also give hope to many young people, most of the football stars we celebrate today came from humble backgrounds, through sports they changed their lives and became inspirations to others, watching them on the international stage motivates many youths to believe that with hard work their dreams can also come true.
Another reason I believe these events are not a waste is because of the long-term benefits, the stadiums, training centers, and facilities built for these games don’t disappear afterward, they remain useful for national sports, training, and even future events, hosting also brings global recognition and can attract investors to the country.
Beyond the economy and fame, sports have a healing power, during a football match, people forget about politics, religion, and tribe, they celebrate together, hug strangers, and share smiles, when Nigeria plays in the World Cup, for example, you can feel the unity in the air, that feeling alone is priceless.
Even though I started out as someone who didn’t care about football, I now understand why people love it so deeply, International sporting events are not a waste of money, they are a celebration of unity, hope, and human connection, the joy and togetherness they bring are worth every effort and every naira spent.
This is my response to this episode of Hivelearners community prompt of #hl-w187e03 which the topic is tagged The World Of Sports
