During the World Cup, Coca Cola advertised that, “We all speak football.” And despite my attempts to give up soft drinks, I down at least two per week, thanks to the son of a professor who hikes down to town and buys drinks for everyone working in the studio. So, I was well acquainted with the advertisement. However, I didn’t think of the meaning behind such an advertising slogan until I was standing in a crowd of Italians, cheering on their national team during the World Cup championship game. That game was the most incredible event I have ever experienced, and it had a lot to do with the atmosphere, and not just that the Italian team was victorious. I was in Cortona for the final game, and the town arranged for it to be projected in a piazza on a small movie screen. We arrived early, and got front row ‘seats’ for the upcoming match. A few of us sat on the ground awaiting the game, and apparently, some had the idea in their heads that the Italian teenagers standing in front of us would sit down for the game. As the game was starting, the teenagers kept standing. One girl turned to us, and motioned for us to do the same. It was a simple gesture, but it got me thinking about the Coca Cola advertisement as she began clapping her hands along with the crowd. Though our cultures are rather different, we have this sport in common, and the rules transcend the language barrier. We all cheer in the same language. We all celebrate in the same language. I was swept up in the game and its intensity, and it wasn’t until the second overtime that I turned around to see a sea of fans spanning out behind me through the piazza and into some of the side streets. And the crowd was a mix of Italians, Americans and others. The crowd went wild after the last penalty kick, and shortly thereafter, a few cars carrying fans holding huge red sparklers paraded through the streets. And as the crowd thinned out, more cars traveled through the piazza and town, honking their horns and carrying numerous people leaning out any opening, screaming. As we made our way back through town, we were greeted by numerous Italian flags waving in victory and hundreds of fans partying in the streets, drinking, dancing, jumping around and chanting. My friends and I joined in, and that made the experience that much sweeter. Apparently, we all really do speak football.
_____Erin played air guitar while Rome burned.Contact her at [email protected]