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***image1***Approximately, 95 million people tune in each year to watch the Super Bowl. Advertisers pay millions of dollars for 30-second spots, and American athletic immortality is guaranteed to the winning team.
KMC residents are about to experience something, however, that makes the Super Bowl seem like small potatoes. The World Cup soccer tournament attracts hundreds of millions of viewers from over 200 countries around the globe, and millions of visitors to the country that puts on the event.
Kaiserslautern, the smallest World Cup city in Germany, will host teams from Asia, North America, South America, Europe and the Middle East.
For some, the World Cup is more than just a game: it has the power to bring separate factions together, at least for a moment. In the Ivory Coast, where civil war has recently been a terrible scourge, the country has achieved relative calm following the country’s first-ever qualification for the World Cup.
Even Germany, where unification is still taking hold, is hoping that Michael Ballack, the team’s top player who grew up in former East Germany, leads his team to victory.
For others, the connection is a bit more personal. Staff Sgt. Ubaldo Barrios, 435th Air Base Wing, began playing soccer as a young boy and is a fan of some of the greatest players of all time, like Argentina’s Diego Maradona and Brazil’s immortal Pelé. “What I love about soccer is the intensity of the game and playing as a team,” he said. “Because by yourself you won’t be able to get anything done playing a game against another team.”
When the World Cup happens, though, it’s not all fun and games. The next three weeks promise lots of madness – autobahn staus, re-routed traffic in Kaiserslautern, work interruptions and the inconvenience of having some of your favorite local haunts invaded by hordes of visitors from around the world.
And even though some of the coming days will bring inconveniences, don’t lose sight of the fact that the World Cup only happens every four years.
Remember, too, that it is rare to actually be in a World Cup venue during a World Cup year.
“It is great to be in the country that is hosting the World Cup,” said Sergeant Barrios, who expects Brazil to win. “To be in a country that is hosting this great event is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
Kaiserslautern game schedule
Monday, June 12 at 3 p.m.
Australia vs. Japan
Saturday, June 17 at 9 p.m.
Italy vs. USA
Tuesday, June 20 at 9 p.m.
Paraguay vs. Trinidad/Tobago
Friday, June 23 at 4 p.m.
Saudi-Arabia vs. Spain
Monday, June 26 at 5 p.m.
Teams TBD
Shopping in K-Town
-Normal opening hours today to July 9
-Monday to Saturday; some stores will remain open until 8 p.m.
-Open on Sundays, June 11, 18, 25 and July 2 from 1 to 6 p.m.
-Open for German holiday on Thursday from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.
-Italy vs. USA on June 17 open until midnight
