The Other America

Iranians say thank you to Los Angeles, and remind everybody that football is still a great uniter

In America, Trump’s America, the World Cup has met its most disagreeable host ever. Americans, however, are a study in contrast. Their own chanting and cheering is fire, but their real gift may be the enthusiasm with which they adopt everyone else’s songs. Even the Iranian national team, put through US hoops that’ve made it “the most oppressed one” indeed, has felt this warmth. “Thank you, Los Angeles, for your hospitality,” says the beautifully penned message they left behind in the locker room, after holding heavily favoured Belgium to a 0-0 draw. It’s actually an ode to a classic sporting virtue: Ability to separate people from govts. 

Southern California also has a large enough Iranian diaspora to be nicknamed Tehrangeles. They boo the Iranian anthem and cheer for the Iranian players. But LA’s not alone. The party’s travelling. Boston is awash in kilts. Lawrence, Kansas has opened its arms to Algeria. In Philly, Iraqi fans danced through rain, continuing to show support even after their team’s defeat. And their energy didn’t go unappreciated by the locals. New Yorkers have been grinning at Norway fans, adorned in Viking horns, “rowing” around Times Square. And as much as Americans have dissed Fifa’s Trump-fawning Bible-belting countryish song Lighter, they’ve been enthusiastically learning foreign ones in the stands. Ecuador’s irresistible Sí se puede! – Yes, it can be done! – has found plenty of new converts.

Sociologists have a weighty phrase to describe this magic: Collective effervescence, coined by Émile Durkheim. Basically, it’s the good kind of group vibe. The joy of discovering common feelings across unfamiliar flags and languages. The Iranian note ends by wishing for “peace, respect, and friendship” among nations. Football makes that seem not impossible. Yes, the World Cup is the most commercialised spectacle on our planet. But a handwritten note has reminded everybody that its deepest enchantment is beyond money and marketing. It enables a sudden, improbable community with Others.

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