A Game Played With Feet, Watched With Hearts, Loved By All

VWP: puta (n). -- whore. Don't worry, in a moment it'll make sense why I chose this harsh word.

Americans often seem to poke fun at foreigners' love of "futbol" or soccer.  It's almost like we can't imagine why anyone would take interest in a game that doesn't include helmet-clad men smashing into each other with 30 seconds worth of pauses for every 10 seconds of action (was that assessment of football a bit too harsh?).  However, here in Costa Rica, Ticos very much so prefer soccer: a game that applauds detail and precision as much as it does strength, requires teamwork as much as individual excellence, and commends sporadic decisions as much as preplanned plays.  I myself side with Ticos after gathering my fair share of tiny scars, shinguards, and soccer-patterned headbands from years of playing this sport.  While being here, I've watched soccer bring people together on a family, community, and national level.        

My first night back in Curridabat after a two-week long spree in the province of Limon was also the first day of the U17 Girls' World Cup Tournament, hosted right here in San Jose.  Even though my host mom here doesn't like to see girls getting all sweaty and "manly-looking" when they play soccer (I decided to keep my opinion to myself on that quote), my dad and I planned to set up camp in front of the TV and watch the 90 minute match with all the attention that we could muster.  We went to the grocery store and bought a few Imperials (the national beer) and a bag of lemon and salt chips--sounds oddly similar to the diet of Sunday football watchers in America, doesn't it?  Then we rested our voices for the rest of the day, only talking when extremely necessary, so we could really scream at the TV that night.  When I say "scream at the TV" I don't mean like, "Oh, come on!" or "What a crummy shot!"  Costa Ricans take the cursing during games to a whole new level, as any error committed by a soccer player receives a long drawn out "Puta!!!" (Whore!!!)  I'm not sure how this came to be the acceptable insult, but it sure is popular here.  While verbal smack-downs are expected and tolerated, many have also anticipated the probable physical violence that could result from such an intense fan base.  Some stadiums here actually don't let fans of opposite teams sit together in the stands!  Better safe than sorry, I guess. Even sitting in my family's living room watching the game on TV, I could feel the national support swell inside the stadium as the Costa Rican team battled against the adroit Venezuelan squad.  Whenever a Venezuelan player would be tricked by some sneaky Costa Rican footwork, the entire crowd would rumble with a boisterous "Aaaahhhh," further rubbing it in the poor girl's face that she just got humiliated on international TV. Sadly for the Costa Ricans, this only happened occasionally.  As the tied game (0-0 at half time) disappeared into a 3-0 win for Venezuela, crying and heavy-browed Costa Ricans were captured by the camera, many of them still with paint on their faces and the Costa Rican flag draped around their shoulders.   

I admire the way grown men in Costa Rica relate to sports because they don't play Fantasy Football. Instead, it's very popular for men all the way into their early 30s to continue playing soccer on a competitive national level, traveling to a different part of the country every Sunday to challenge another province's team. My host mom's brother-in-law is the president of one of these men's teams, and he has recently learned that he is terminally ill with a tumor.  He has been the president of the team for the past twenty years and has an immensely strong bond with the sports and his players.  While this man has his family supporting him, the soccer community in Curridabat has also reached out to help in any way possible.  This past Sunday, his team's game against the rival Pococi squad was dedicated in his honor.  As this sick, struggling man slowly maneuvered his way out to the middle of the soccer field, assisted by his daughters and wearing house slippers, the two teams and the referees gathered in solidarity to present a plaque, banner, and good wishes to Freddy.  The machismo cultural norm that men should never really hug other men was temporarily lifted by the bond created between these men through their mutual love for soccer as they gave heartfelt hugs to their team's beloved president.


Soccer isn't just a sport here in Costa Rica; it's a uniting mechanism on every level.