The Super Bowl of Egypt

Dear Friends,

As America gets set for the Super Bowl this weekend, it is not surprising that gatherings are being planned across the country. If I still lived in America, no doubt I would join other football fans to watch the game together. While the time zone difference makes game time early in the morning in Egypt, I am grateful for a recent sporting experience that turned this country upside down.

Earlier this week, Alex (my oldest son) and I went to ran errands in our car. Normally, traffic is heavy. However, on this particular day, around 7pm, traffic was surprisingly light. I recall making the comment to Alex and him agreeing with me. Getting around Maadi, our suburb, was surprisingly easy.

As I thought about it more, it occurred to me that Egypt was participating in a Super Bowl of their own: the Africa Cup in Angola. In fact, on this particular day, they were playing against Ghana in the championship game. No wonder the streets were empty; everyone was watching the game. Suddenly, I wanted to be at home as well to join the rest of the nation in cheering on the national team.

Our final stop was Kimo, a local grocery store. As I walked in the door, I found myself standing amid 30 young and old Egyptian men at the cashier, all huddled around a small television set. No work was getting done this night, as the game took precedence. Just as I turned my head to glance at the screen they were watching, I saw the player at left forward dribble past a defender and take the shot. GOAL!!! It was the closing minutes of a nil-nil match, and now Egypt was up 1-0.

Mayhem ensued. Loud shouts rang out in the small shop. The men started dancing and clapping hands. Large smiles were everywhere. Meanwhile, I noticed a western woman show a concerned look on her face, until she realized the cause of the commotion. I was welcomed into the celebration, shaking hands and shouting enthusiastically with the wound up group of football fans. Even though Egypt did not qualify for this year's World Cup tournament, this was a appropriate consolation prize for which to be thankful.

Sport is one thing that people have in common around the world. That the Winter Olympics begins in a week, we are provided with another example of this trans-cultural reality. Soccer, not American football, might be the international game most of the world's citizens follows. This is certainly the case in Egypt. But universally, sport is a national and regional unifier.

For me as an American in the Egyptian grocery store, I was part of that cheering spirit that is void of politics, religion and economics. I will take it for what it is worth: fun.