Getting kicks out of a struggle with soccer

Soccer fans in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, cheer their favorite teams at this World Cup. Dong Jinlin / For China Daily

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Soccer players are not idolized the same way as some sports stars in the United States. Whereas soccer is more team-oriented, Americans often like to watch basketball and American football games for the standout superstar of the team.

The main reason Americans are comparatively impartial to soccer is the same reason other countries are in love with it: culture.

Americans grow up with baseball mitts on one hand while the other shoots jump shots and tosses footballs. It is practically law for parents to share at least one of America's pastimes with their children.

Childhood days are often spent playing pick-up sports with kids from around the neighborhood. Claim an empty lot, run around until exhausted, then go home to fall asleep and repeat the cycle.

I imagine the scene looks quite a bit like scenes elsewhere in the world. The only difference being the ball that brings the kids together.

Some of the best times Americans have are during huge sports events such as the Super Bowl or World Series. Friends and family gather to eat, drink and celebrate as though it were a holiday.

I imagine that scene, too, plays out elsewhere in the world. The only difference being the channel on the television screen.

It seems the World Cup is less about soccer than it is about sharing time with loved ones and displaying pride for one's nation - a tradition that lives strong everywhere in the world in one form or another.

See Hot Pot Column for more stories by expats in China