Although it may seem like mono is the biggest disease circulating the halls of B-CC, it was really World Cup Fever that took the school by storm. The short-lived outbreak brought the B-CC community together through various game related cheers, chants, and watch parties. People who had never watched a day of soccer in their lives, or any sports for that matter, had their eyes locked on the games.
Qatar, a country most Barons have only known from JetPunk countries quizzes, had the B-CC world enthralled. With all eyes on the U.S team to hopefully bring a couple of wins home to the states, students of all grades watched eagerly together, waiting to see who would win each game.
BCC junior Chloe Wise commented, “The U.S team has brought my friends and I together watching the games, even if we have no idea what’s going on.” The school never felt more spirited than when the U.S played their final group stage game against Iran. The game began at two o’clock, giving a 30-minute overlap between school and soccer. Although it was a normal school day, nobody, both students and teachers alike, could do anything other than watch the games. The first 30 minutes, although lackluster, brought to every classroom an energy of pride and unity among students. Cheers were heard throughout the entire building as students came together with this common interest.
This infectious disease has not been limited to students, teachers seem to have been bitten by the bug too. Junior Mary Sheffield says, “All of my teachers have been playing the games on their Promethean boards, I haven’t had to miss a game all tournament.” This is a sentiment shared by many students. Even for games that the United States weren’t playing in, people are still glued to the scoreboard.
To many B-CC students, rooting for the USA was been a great way to get into the spirit of the World Cup. Hallway conversations turned to talk about the “Lebron James of Soccer” (referencing Christian Pulisic), and how the English were going to get beat worse than they did in the Revolutionary War. The inside jokes and classroom watch parties kept every student involved and included. However, with the Americans’ loss to the Netherlands in Round 16, the temporary soccer fans will have to pack up their soccer-related patriotism, and wait four more years until the return of the World Cup, which will be played in Canada, Mexico, and the United States.
Regardless of the loss, there continued to be watch parties popping up in classes, as Barons with no connection to either country’s team sweated out penalty kicks and extra time with their classmates. That connection was a side effect that has been very beneficial to the B-CC community.
No matter if classmates had never spoken to each other before, connections were formed through the game of soccer. Sophomore Mariam Kupatadze says, “I have talked to people I had never talked to before in my classes, and that is something I did not expect”, which seems to be a common feeling amongst students.
Although the World Cup has ended with soccer fever overshadowed by semester finals, hopefully the B-CC camaraderie built around the World Cup will last, the ultimate goal.