There are two defining moments in English history. The defeat of King Harold at the Battle of Hastings by William the Conqueror in 1066 and the victory of the English soccer team in the 1966 World Cup. That second moment healed all the defeats, disappointments, and humiliations of the previous 900 years.
The victory could not have been sweeter. It took place in London and we defeated West Germany. You might think the English would feel pretty confident in relation to the Germans after winning two world wars, but their post-war economic success and national confidence drives us crazy. We feel the need to beat them over and over again.
1966 is burned into our collective psyche and the decades since have been a quest to repeat that fleeting, but perfect moment of happiness. I heard a survey on the radio where English men said they would give up sex for a year for a World Cup victory. But, life has become a confrontation of the brutal reality that we are a shadow of our former selves; our sporting persona reflects our diminished status as a dismantled empire.
So right now we’re breathing a collective sigh of relief that we squeaked through the group round. I read that English fans and commentators couldn’t believe their luck when it was first announced that we were in Group C with Algeria, Slovenia, and, laughably, the USA. Now we’re all a little more humble. Again.
The success of the US team is quite impressive. And I can’t help but feel it’s because this is a young country that is constantly fighting to assert itself, that believes in winning and in national pride, even if soccer doesn’t rate as highly here. The English players feel entitled to win without committing to fight. The Americans are hungry whereas the rich Premier League players are fat and bloated.
We survived the week, but placing behind the US means we face our nemesis on Sunday. You can feel the national stomach ache. Everyone experienced a few minutes of euphoria when we beat Slovenia, and then that sinking feeling settled in as we realized the Germans are waiting.
Maybe we’ll find the fire in our stomachs and rise up again. Or maybe we’ll end up crying into our beer and taking comfort in the fact that at least we’re not French.
English men said they would give up sex for a year for a World Cup victory
They must not be doing it right.
I’m thrilled to see that TGW is turning into a series of meditations on World Cup soccer. Please keep it going, everyone!
Don’t forget, too, that if the English side manage to defeat the Hun, the Argys are most likely up next. There’s a little history there, too.
It’s been kind of funny watching England fans freak out over facing Germany. My impression is that everyone has already decided England has lost. Good thing Winston Churchill didn’t have that attitude is all I’m saying.
I love it when Stella opines about sports – it’s an unexpected and wonderful phenomenon, like seeing a rare bird.
Just the first round of this World Cup has been so fantastically full of drama – the French team’s meltdown! The US getting robbed of goals! The North Korean blowout being televised live in N. Korea, a first in that news-controlling country. Good stuff. Also, I love the storyline of the English team. It reminds me of the saga of tennis star Tim Henman, who year after year bore the weight of English insecurities on his shoulders as he tried, and failed, to win Wimbledon.
Also: Happy bday, Stella!
#1 – in my experience, you may be right.
#2 – don’t freak us out about the Argies until we get through Sunday!
#4 – thank you!
Oy. I wish it had ended 2-1 and then we could have lived off the injustice of that disallowed goal forever.
Ah, well, at least we’re not French.
Ah, well, at least we’re not French. . . .
and the English men get to have all the sex they want until 2014.
Wow, I can’t believe that this is the first tgw topic I have read in so long as I am traveling, because for one, I just wAtched this game in a public square in Germany today, and as a rest I actually half composed a post about it (spoiler alert for next month). I will save my thoughts till then, but you should heAr the horns still blowing. Let’s just say it’s pretty rAre that I actually want to appear American while in Europe, but today I did not want my English speaking to align me with the wrong team.
Btw, I miss you all and your posts!
7: I suspect the English men would have had more sex if they’d won.