Categories: Sports

Germany, hosts of the 2006 World cup, has dropped out of the competition, getting whacked by the Italians 2-0. This is old news by now, but I still want to give my take on it. When I heard the news, I was crushed. This, after the defeat of my #1 and #2 teams, Brazil and England. I, along with many others, were rooting for Germany, hoping their home field advantage would give them the edge. Hey, it worked for France in ’98. Guess that wasn’t enough now was it? But my disappointment wasn’t nearly a fraction of what the Germans felt. There was overwhelming sadness on their faces. Each was either brought to silence or to tears.

Germany’s defeat seems to have been the straw that broke the camel’s back, at least for Jamaicans anyway. Germany was the last great team that Jamaicans were supporting. And now that they’re gone, we seem to have become as apathetic as the Americans. The radios and TVs that were once fixed on World Cup matches have now returned to music and soap operas. People who would once spend hours giving amateur commentary on matches have switched to other subjects. It was almost as if the World Cup already ended. But I won’t let the defeat of one team ruin the World Cup for me. Guess I’ll have to choose a 4th team. Italy perhaps. But knowing my luck, I’d better start choosing a 5th team.