Originally Published: January 23, 2008

AFRICA'S
CUP OF NATIONS

GHANA BOUND


THE OFFICIAL BALL

In Africa nothing could be

further from their minds

that the SuperBowl but

FOOTBALL is

What we call soccer but the rest of the world calls FOOTBALL is at a  fever pitch all over the great content of Africa right now. A level of  excitement that probably puts the SuperBowl interest here to shame. Ghana is hosting this year's Cup of Nations and they are also the  favorites to win it all. They started out on a strong note Sunday night when Ghana beat Guinea 2-1 in the opening match.

Midfielder Michael  Essien is the top player on the Ghana squad who made a rather  obvious comment after his team's first victory " People  think Ghana are favorites because we are playing at home but it doesn't  guarantee a win in any competition in the world."

Following but an  equally insightful comment

" It is added pressure for the team  but we are ready to fight to be  champions. We have shown it during the first game against Guinea by  playing until the end."
 
Enough of that ....

For our still largely American audience the value here is widening our  horizons reminding ourselves again and again that these United States  will never reach the heights of sports "diplomacy" unless we embrace  soccer with the same passion as the rest of the world. Yes certainly  USA has become competitive at the World Cup and in the Olympics but  that  does not in any way mean here that soccer is anywhere near the equal of  basketball, football or even baseball for widespread interest.

Most of all from the Box perspective it means soccer remains a Golden  Opportunity for African Americans to be as assertive in soccer as in  football and basketball. Seeing the success of and the quality of  soccer played all over Africa should be all it takes to convince  African Americans to embrace soccer enthusiastically.

Shifting the focus back to Africa the intense level of interest in  soccer and the widespread enthusiasm in country after country across  geography and social an economic barriers proves that Sports can have a  positive impact in uniting people and eliciting positive energy. Just  as long as we don't take that theme too far. Fact is repressive  regimes and human rights abuses and extreme poverty and horrendous  health problems still prevail in too much of Africa in spite of the  success of soccer.

And to be bluntly honest if we shift the focus back to the USA in spite  of the success of African Americans on the field in football and  basketball and a few others Sports so what else has it meant. Very  little to nothing. It certainly has not lifted the African American  community in general to new heights, and even in the Sports dominated  by African Americans on the playing field there has been meager  progress in those Sport off the field in management, ownership,  merchandising and broadcasting.

but not to lose our focus

Africa Cup of Nations and

the competition taking place

you can go the the official

Website to learn more

http://www.ghanacan2008.com/

or for a good overview once

again to Wikipedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_African_Cup_of_Nations

but most of all remember

soccer is FOOTBALL

every place else