Tuesday, June 13, 2006

Brand Name Fever

A month ago, the count down for the world cup began at my house. Asif, soccer/football fanatic, has been unable to sleep ever since he booked his tickets to Germany.

(Actually, I am quite excited about his trip as well - I can't wait for some alone time in the house. But that is another story for another blog).

Well, amidst the whirlwind of soccer mania, I feel the need to pick a team to support. My soccer vocab is limited to Beckam, Owen and Lampard. I have actually met Frank Lampard in Dubai in the winter of 2005 - he is quite the looker. But truth be told, I have no real measure of their talent except for what Asif or Minaz tells me.

After the pitiful performance of England in their match against Paraguay, I realized England is made up of a team of Name Brand Players. As we know, choosing a name brand is not always the best option. Take for example, Wonderbread. It is the most luxurious bread I have ever tasted. It smells like bread and is soft and fluffy. However it lacks in its nutrient quality. Despite the potential health hazards of Wonderbread, people continue to purchase this brand of bread simply because it's brand. I think England's team(among some other teams) can be categorized as Wonderbread. Great to look at, but lacking at the core!

After much contemplation, I chose Portugal as my team. First of all, how can I not support a country that have built a shrine of my namesake - Lady of Fatima. But more importantly, I know the cheer. Isn't cheering the most important job description of a fan?

When I looked in my fridge this morning, I saw the gleaming cover of Wonderbread hiding behind my no name bread. To make up for the brand name in my fridge, my loyalty to Portugal grew. As Asif drove me to school this morning, we sang the Portugal cheer!

Portugalale! Portugalale, Portugalale, Portugalale! PORTUGALALE!!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hey,
If you are looking for a soccer team to support, you should look at Ghana. They have been playing really well, especially against the Czechs, and they are the only african team who has a chance to make it to the knockout round. Considering our loyalty to our African roots, well.... need I say more!!!

Fatema Fazal said...

I have to admit, seeing the game Ghana played almost made me change my alliances. It was a sensational game and I am definately rooting for them. Can one support two teams? (both which will probably not make it to the end)