We Won.

We won.  I have a twisted ankle, bruises all over my body, and perhaps the fiercest hangover of my life, but god damnit, we won.  Last night, Germany won the World Cup final in a nail biter of a match against Argentina. 

It seems sort of weird and dumb for an American girl who doesn't follow football to care about this World Cup final, but let me tell you, it was everything.  I came to Europe knowing I would be swept up in the football madness, but I really had no idea what I was getting into.  Watching game after game after game, asking a million questions about the teams and the rivalries and the rules, and just letting myself get consumed by the madness were all just the preparation for watching the final game in Germany.

The moment that Germany scored the only goal of the match was unlike any other.  I was on the inside of a firework and I had no idea what was up, down, sideways--it was just.  It was just the most amazing moment.  I jumped up from my chair with the room full of Germans and was consumed by man hugs from every corner.  I was embraced, stepped on, swung about--at one point, a group of the huggers and me toppled sideways on a bed, and all I could feel from that point on was German bodies flinging and flopping themselves upon me.  It was probably the happiest collective moment I've ever experienced. 

Let me explain why a soccer match could be this momentous.  If you know nothing about soccer, the World Cup is a competition held every four years and just happens to be the most widely viewed sporting event in the world--more than the Olympics, more than the Super Bowl, EVEN more than the Puppy Bowl.  So, I found out right away that this was a big deal.  Maybe the biggest deal.  According to Wikipedia, there have only been 20 World Cup tournaments, and only eight countries have won in all that time, so people literally wait a lifetime to see their country win.  For Germany, their last win was in 1990, so most of the people I watched the game with were six years old at the time.  I just can't imagine watching and waiting for 25 years of my life for my team, my country to win.

In terms of "fandom," football fans take the cake, without a doubt in my mind, and I noted this distinction from the start.  It's more than just a sport to these people; it's a part of their culture, a part of their lifestyle, and it's ingrained in their collective histories.  I know a ton of diehard sports fans back home, but something about football fandom feels deeper.

 I started watching football the moment I got to Europe.  I was in Holland for two weeks or so and watched as many games as possible.  When in Rome, right?  I figured I may as well start watching so I could get to know the teams from the countries where I'd be staying on my trip.  Since I'd planned to stay with Leonie in Germany for the last week of the World Cup, I knew that Germany was the team that needed to win.

 Flash forward a month and I'm drinking beer in the street with a throng of Germans, flags everywhere, soccer balls whizzing past and all the cars honking with passengers hanging out of the windows screaming, cheering, chanting for Germany, high fives and hugs everywhere, bikers whooping and fist pumping past, and me, here I am, in Germany, I kept thinking, I'm here! I'm here! I'm here in Germany!!!!  What are the chances?  What are the odds?  And how lucky can I get to be celebrating with Leonie, Basti, and the most rambunctious group of dudes?

 I will never forget it.