运动赛事，就是有一种魔力。

There’s a reason why I have not written much about sports here. Coincidentally, every time I put something up here, somehow or another, the team I support will not perform as expected or my predictions will never come true. Oh well, I guess if I were that accurate, I would not be sitting at my office desk. But I will still guess anyway.. Hahaha… I’m not complaining as well because some of the teams I follow are not that good anyway (the reason for me for following some teams is not because of their skills, but other factors eg the coach).

World Cup has once again descended and I remembered doing a very-failed prediction 4 years ago. If my memory hasn’t fail me, I predicted back then that Brazil would be the champions, but the Samba nation had failed to reach even the semis. Oh well, like every other sports game, there’s a lot of unpredictability influencing the outcome; the players, the referee, the grass, the atmosphere, the weather, etc… Having the best set of players will increase the chances of lifting trophies, but does not guarantee them. I guess that’s life too; having the best skills does not mean one will succeed.

World Cup has made headlines all over the world, and in Singapore too, though for a different reason. Watching the matches in the comfort of the houses seems more of a luxury here than anywhere else. In fact, Singapore ’s screening is one of the highest in the world. Well, taking a different perspective, it’s only a cup of coffee per match, according to the Singtel’s chief of content and media services. But that’s provided if the subscriber watches every match. For those who are working, they may probably skip the matches in the wee hours. And some will not watch clashes between the less well-known countries. Not to forget, there are 4 matches shown live on free-to-air TV as well. So probably, each match will cost around a bowl of noodles (the bowl of noodles depend on the number of matches the person watches). Yes, it’s still cheaper than flying to South Africa to watch, but it’s entirely a different game to watch from TV as compared to watching in the stadium. In addition, most people are just pure unwillingly to fork out more than 3 times of the price 4 years ago. Given the alternatives available, it really doesn’t make much sense for one to cough out $70++/90++ for a perhaps more comfortable viewing. I would think a pay-per-match pricing would be more appealing, as people then only pay what they want to watch. Of course, from the telcos’ point of view, they wouldn’t be able to earn as much. It’s sad that the sports have become a money-grabbing machine, from the telcos to the organizations. If the reports are correct, this tiny red dot here will contribute 48% to the winners’ prize money. World Cup now is not only about a nation’s pride, but the pockets as well.

Actually, it’s very amazing how sports bind people all over the world (even more and more Americans, whose football known to be more of the rugby type than the soccer type, start watching 22 (+1) men on the field with the small ball). Popular tournaments have created common topics among friends and strangers too. Strangers come together to watch and discuss matches. I remember in the past back in my Clementi flat, whenever there was an important match like Singapore vs Malaysia, the choruses of “GOAL” would vibrate around the neighbourhood at the very same time when there was one and an “AWWWW” when there was a miss. How fun and exciting =) It’s this kind of atmosphere that appeals to people gather to watch games.

I was watching a NBA game with my dad a few days back when my mum walked over and asked what was on TV. Being in a cheeky mood, I replied her that it was the World Cup. She looked at the screen for awhile and asked for the teams on the TV. Without changing any facial expression, my dad gave a calm answer: England and Spain . My mum, replying with an “Orh”, stared back at the screen for awhile before realizing it was basketball and not soccer on TV. Hahaha =P