The atmosphere was hopeful as students flooded into the grille to watch the USA v. Iran game. The United States National Mens Team, USMNT, had taken an early lead, and if they could hold on, they’d make it to the knockouts for the first time since 2002. Students watched anxiously as the USA inched closer and closer to the goal. Suddenly, the room erupted into celebration as 22-year-old forward, Timothy Weah kicked the ball straight into the back of the net.
The goal was later discounted when the replays showed Weah’s knee and upper body to be offsides. However, despite this obstacle the USA still pulled through, ending the game in a 1-0 win.
As World Cup season rises to its peaks, experts predict over 5 billion viewers to be tuning in worldwide. A large percentage of which will be kids.
For the first time in its history, the World Cup is being held in the Fall as opposed to the Summer, posing a new problem for younger viewers: school. However, most teachers, being fans themselves, have been really supportive when it comes to allowing their students to watch games during lessons.
History teacher Quinn Mckenzie ended up making a deal with his students, allowing them to stream the match, as long as they continued taking notes and paying attention to the lecture.
“I know you’re streaming the match,” Mckenzie said. “So I need to have a paper in front of you that you [are] visibly taking notes on.”
World Cup fever has spread like a wildfire across Trinity as more and more students continue to stream in class and throughout the school day.
“There’s so many students, that I’ve never seen that have any interest in soccer, that I’ve never even talked [to] about sports in class…who have been like, we need to have the game on,” said Mckenzie. “And I’m like, since when have you cared?”
The unexpected positive that has emerged from having the World Cup during the school year is this sort of communal aspect that comes with watching.
“In the past, you only have your, friend group.. or your family…watching the game,” freshman Zevy Naft. “So when I went to school, I didn’t realize how many people watched the World Cup.”
The excitement of having the World Cup during school has grown the fan base across campus, sucking in students who may have not been as interested in past seasons.
“There’s a more communal aspect to it because the match is happening while people are at school,” Mckenzie said. “Some of these people…I doubt that they would be as interested in the World Cup if they didn’t see people in class, in study hall, in middle block at lunch watching matches.”
For many fans, exam week will be tough, with most of the major knockout matches happening simultaneously. But, students should finish up just in time to watch the World Cup finals on December 18, stress-free.
