Memorable Sports Moments of 2014: The FIFA World Cup in Brazil

Before I get to the World Cup, let me tell you about my friend, Jun Lim.

Jun is my batch from the Ateneo. He went to Xavier School for his secondary education. Jun Lim stands nearly six feet tall. Sadly, Jun was never into hoops since he was a very studious kid. Now Jun keeps himself occupied with running his family business. Sports was never a big thing with him.

But every four years, something strange happens to Jun.

Lim doesn’t give a hoot about sports 99% of the time, but when the FIFA World Cup comes along, he joins the rest of the world in zoning in on the beautiful game.

I have a memory of the 2002 World Cup, with Jun watching in some bar or restaurant, and he calling me during the business end of a knockout game.

“It’s going to free kicks na! Free kicks!” he exclaimed over the phone, not realizing that the tiebreaker of a match that has not concluded after 120 minutes of action is called a penalty shootout, not a free kick shootout.

“I like the World Cup because like the Olympics all countries participate and play in universal brotherhood,” explained Lim. Perhaps he chose to ignore the 187 yellow cards and 10 red cards that referees dished out during the competition.

“I don't watch club football because those are professional teams,” he continued. “Meaning, it's not just the soccer game I want to watch but it's the 'World Cup thing.'”

That “thing” really has a hold on the human race. It brings the magic of the sport to every corner of the world, and into the lives of even non-fans. That is why I have chosen the 2014 FIFA World Cup as my sports moment of the year. And not just Mario Goetze’s extra-time goal that sealed Germany’s fourth world title in the final, but the entire spellbinding, sleep-depriving, month-long moment.

This World Cup was unlike any other, and in so many ways.

For many, including me, it was the first Twitter World Cup, since I only signed up for the social media platform in 2012. For some strange reason the ability to instantly share my thoughts and feelings about the play just ratcheted up the excitement even more.

On a personal note it was also my first post-advertising career World Cup.That meant no need to drag my bleary-eyed self to the office the morning after a tasty three am game. Since I now control my time, I was able to sleep in.

Another element was the advent of High Definition in World Cup broadcasts in the Philippines. My friend Rick Bonoan from Chicago says American viewers got HD World Cup telecasts as early as the Germany 2006 mundial. But we only really got it this year. And what a spectacle it was!

Football is at its best in 1080p, with every single blade of grass, drop of sweat, and spinning panel on every ball visible to the viewer.

But the best part of the HD broadcasts were those ultra-slow motion tidbits after every half; random moments from the game like a clash of boots, a sweaty headed clearance, or a goalkeeper’s face as he bayed at his back four, in sumptuous HD and glorious 240 frames per second perfection. Paired with a dreamy, ethereal score featuring heavenly harps, these clips never failed to leave me utterly slack-jawed.

The prospect of 2018 is even more delicious: the FIFA World Cup could very well come into our living rooms from Russia in 4K Ultra High Definition, which features four times the detail of regular HD. I have seen football footage in 4K, and it makes HD look like SD and SD look like CCTV.

But of course the centerpiece was the play itself. The modern game is a thrill ride of speed, technique, and power. The purists know that the UEFA Champions League now represents the pinnacle of the game in terms of absolute quality, but the World Cup adds a dash of national pride into the intoxicating mix.

Which game stood out the most? Was it Holland’s startling dismantlement of Spain in the group stage? Or the Oranje’s pulsating 3-2 win against Australia? The draw Portugal snatched from the United States in the embers of their group stage clash deserves mention.

But one match stands out, and that is the semifinal between hosts Brazil and eventual champs, Germany, that ended with the Selecao prostrate in the Minerao, the victims of an astonishing 7-1 beatdown that no sane pundit would have ever foretold.

The unpredictability of sport is its greatest allure, but the rout of the hosts was far beyond the imagination of any football fan. The heavy scoreline in front of the weeping Brazilian fans lives on as the most shocking moment of a terrific World Cup, eclipsing the 1-0 victory by the Mannschaft over Lionel Messi’s Argentina in memorability.

The 2014 World Cup was an unforgettable moment of the past year, and makes us wish that 2018 would come around sooner than later. No doubt Jun and I will be tuning in then.

Follow Bob on Twitter @PassionateFanPH.