World Cup fans bringing joy and lots of money

By Ken Esten Cooke

Guest Columnist

The World Cup — that “other” football event played every four years — has returned to North America. And the world’s most popular sport has brought the world’s most joyful fan bases with it.

The Scottish Tartan Army is bringing laughs — and a huge economic boost — to the greater Boston region. Those Scot fans talked of running out of beer on the flight over, then proceeded to drain many a local watering hole of their supplies as well.

On game day, many Boston locals arose to bagpipes and kilts at sunrise and the Tartan Army cheered their team on to a 1-nil win over Haiti. And yes, they’re enjoying their barley waters, but they are exceptionally well-behaved.

And so many stories have crossed our social media feeds, bringing smiles and heartwarming “feels.” Witness the Japanese fans tidying up at AT&T Stadium in Arlington after their game. (Yes, they brought their own trash bags.)

Witness the German soccer fans who found in their hotel room Houston Rockets jerseys and cupcakes — just because.

There was the Mexican boy who wore a Santa Claus Christmas sweater because his school instructed students to wear the colors of the Mexican bandera, the national flag. He became a viral sensation and was rewarded with a jersey from a team star.

There was also “Merlin” the duck, who waddled through the streets of Mexico City and became a good luck charm for the team.

The Mexican and South Korean fans got up close and personal — with Mexican fans giving a “crowd surf” to the Korean visitors, and Mexican gals giving a beso to South Korean gents at a post-game gathering.

And the food in America is bringing joy to the bellies of fans from hither and yon. There are videos of Brits trying biscuits and gravy for the first time, and looks of ecstasy when Asian fans bite into a smoked brisket for a taste of Texas.

One meme showed the mighty Achilles as a warrior labeled “The world hating the U.S.,” And an arrow in his heel was labeled as “Europeans trying Texas brisket for the first time.”

And one Swedish lass stated she had an “out of body experience” and posted photos of her food from ... Golden Corral.

There are hundreds more stories that bring joy, and we are here for them.

It’s nice to see something besides hateful politics in our social media feeds or certain politicians sucking up all the air. And it’s especially nice to see that for all our differences, our humor and sentimentality are similar the world over.

We’ll be rooting for the home team, but we welcome the World Cup on our shores again. And we welcome soccer-loving brothers and sisters from around the globe. Let’s enjoy the fun for the next month.

Ken Esten Cooke is a fourth-generation Texas newspaper publisher, past president of the Texas Press Association, and writer of all things Texas. You can reach him at kenestencooke@gmail.com.