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Least Important Things

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Least Important Things

Why the World Cup Creates Moments of Joy

June 16, 2026 • Least Important Things • Season 4 • Episode 38

0:00 | 22:43

In this rewind episode, Luke Ferris reflects on why the World Cup is so popular, how it generates moments of human joy, and why you should tune in this year.

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SPEAKER_05 0:00

Hey friends, the World Cup is here. Yeah, it's been four years since the last World Cup, and it's here in our soil of America for those who are American listeners and viewers. Uh welcome to Least Important Things. If you haven't been here before, it's a show about movies, friendship, and finding meaning in the most important of the least important things, including soccer at the World Cup. Yeah, every four years people consume it, they get excited about it, they go to the watch parties or they go to the games. We have a couple friends of the shows that are going to the actual matches here in the US and North America where the games are hosted. But today I wanted to go back into our archives and do a special rewind episode on the World Cup because this episode I had four years ago in preparation of the 22 World Cup, I think still is true of today. I made a couple tweaks, but I think it's pretty fresh and relevant for this tournament and really every World Cup tournament. Plus, you get to hear some fan favorite friends of the show. Before we dive into today's episode, if this is your first time, welcome. You can find us wherever you get your podcasts, including Apple Podcasts, where we have started to do video, which is ironic because this will only be a half video episode. Uh, we're trying this out. This is the way podcasts are going. I always talk about when people want to talk shop about podcasts, and I'm an amateur podcaster, I'm not a professional, but we are coming full circle where podcasts are just becoming talk shows now, like broadcasted talk shows. Now they're on their our phones and we second screen on YouTube. And I'm all for that. I sometimes watch podcasts, sometimes I listen to them. I'm I would say I'm a majority listen guy, but just gonna try it out. Uh, if you have been watching on YouTube where we have been doing video podcasts for a number of years, thank you. But is this your first time watching on video on your Apple Podcasts? Here's the studio. Here I am. Uh, we're gonna keep trying this out. Our first full Apple Podcast live video was for the Mummy cast, uh, where we are re-watching all of the mummy franchises. This is not the Tom Cruise franchise that would have been. This is the Brendan Fraser Rachel Vise Mummy trilogy, and we are going through each one of those films. So stay tuned. Mummy 2 is coming in July. But if you love to watch podcasts, now you can on Apple Podcasts. But finally, important things wherever you listen, watch, consume the show. And thanks for being here. We also have a Patreon, which I would suggest you go to our Patreon uh and become a free member or paid member of the show because of the way the algorithms are going on social media. Patreon is still the best way to interact with creators, and they're doing some really interesting things from a I would say more of a social perspective to find new voices to give independent podcasts like myself an opportunity to find and grow their audiences. So check us out on Patreon. All right, a couple of thoughts about the World Cup. Okay, I'm taping this on the Sunday after the kickoff, which was Thursday. Thursday, I went over to my nephew's 10-year-old birthday party where they watched the opening game, and I brought him a panini sticker book, a panini World Cup sticker book. If you don't know what this is, this is the tradition for people who grew up outside of the United States is you bought this book, sometimes it was hardcover, softcover, and has all the teams, and you buy these sticker packets, almost like baseball cards or Pokemon cards, and every packet has random different players, and then you take those and put stickers in each of the teams, with the goal, of course, of trying to collect all the players and fill out all the teams. There's trading involved, it's this whole subculture. There's all this scarce rarity. I believe like the Maradona sticker book from the 70s or the sticker from the sticker book from that that world cup is millions of worth millions of dollars now. Uh, so it was really fun to vicariously live through my nephew and force uh a habit or a hobby that I probably shouldn't justify as a grown man, but it's all part of the spirit and energy of the World Cup. Then Friday night, the US men's national team played at 9-ish, 9 30. I went to a concert right beforehand to see one of my favorite bands, Wilco, at an outdoor amphitheater, and then came back. I was about 15 minutes behind and got this watch the US win four to one. Wow. Was not expecting that. If you know me, uh, or if you just met me, I've been a longtime United States men's soccer fan, and you'll hear about that in today's episode. I watched a lot of bad US men's national team of soccer, specifically the men's team. A lot of rough World Cup games where we slogged along, maybe snuck out a victory or two. This was something different. We totally dominated possession, we scored more goals than we've ever had in a game. Now, I'm not gonna say we're gonna win the World Cup, but uh it was a pretty good cherry on top for the week I already had. More games are coming. Uh, I'm actually gonna be hosting a watch party with lots of friends at the shows for the next US men's national team game on Friday. Uh, also, because we love movies, I wanted to bring some soccer football recommended movies if you're in the mood to entertain yourself beyond just watching the matches. Bend a bit like Beckham, absolute millennial soccer favorite. Uh, we talked about it on our best worst coaches episode. Um, there's might be a nomination for worst coach from that movie. A young Kira Knightley, in one of her biggest debut roles. Uh, it's a great soccer movie set in England that still has that charm of soccer movies where it's actually very difficult to film what's happening on the pitch. Another recommendation is Escape to Victory or Victory, starring Sylvester Stallone as the American goalkeeper, Michael Cain as the manager, central back of an allied prisoner of war camp team who plays the Germans. Yes, and there's an escape aspect to it. So it's basically like the great escape, Rocky, and then your favorite soccer players from that era. Pele's in it, uh, some great Spurs legends are in that England England legends. Uh I can't believe I waited this long to watch this movie. It is right up my alley. So I would say the past week or so between the movies, between the concerts, between the US men's national team, uh, it's been a pretty Luke-centric summer so far, and I hope you're having a great summer. Okay, let's get on to the episode where we're gonna talk about why this tournament, why the World Cup still matters, but people still love it, and why it's engaging everyone across the world in moments of joy. My love affair with soccer, as we call it here in the United States, or football globally, started at the impressionable period of my teens. I wasn't a soccer player growing up, like many of my suburbanite friends. My wide shoulders, thick torso, and giraffe legs were better suited for smash and grab American sports like football and basketball. But something always interested me about the game of soccer. My first lasting memory of soccer was watching the 1999 Women's World Cup final in the living room of my friend Alex's house.

SPEAKER_07 7:26

Chastain will take it.

SPEAKER_05 7:27

The final was hosted at the Roseville and went down to a penalty shootout, with Brandy Chastain scoring the kick to send the U.S. to glory. Then in 2002, my older brother and his friends woke up at the crack of dawn to watch the U.S. play Germany in the World Cup quarterfinals held in South Korea. The U.S. fatally lost via uncalled German handball, but it was one of the best modern runs in the tournament for the U.S. men. I was intrigued and jealous of my brother being able to watch this strange sport that was captivating our small corner of West Michigan that summer. In 2006, my intrigue had become an obsession. Thanks to Sports Illustrated for Kids World Cup Preview edition, I was able to study each team, the players, the jerseys, to be fully prepared for a summer of watching soccer on my couch. I still remember running into my yard, tears pouring down my face when the U.S. bowed out of the group stage versus Ghana.

SPEAKER_07 8:35

Ghana are in control again.

SPEAKER_05 8:41

From then on, my obsession with soccer became my identity. I started following an English club via internet scores. I researched leagues, stadiums, fan culture in the history of the game. It felt like my own little secret hobby. I'd unlocked a world of sports culture, endlessly rich and vast. It's kind of like eating normal Cheerios your whole childhood, and then discovering that there's a thing called frosted mini Cheerios. I began to wear my soccer obsession as a badge. I'd sport jerseys to school, slap poorly laser printed, pixelated pictures of star players on my bedroom wall, and then proselytize about promotion relegation to whatever poor soul sat next to me at the lunch table. For proof, here's an audio clip of me from my high school broadcasting class doing a man on the street segment about the 2010 World Cup.

SPEAKER_02 9:33

Hey everybody, I'm Luke Ferris, and I'm gonna see how much Eastern knows about the World Cup FIFA 2010 World Cup. Let's go see. Hey, do you uh know when the world where the World Cup is being played this year?

SPEAKER_06 9:45

I do not.

SPEAKER_02 9:45

Do you know who won the 2006 FIFA World Cup? Huh? Do you know who won the 2006 FIFA World Cup? Huh? Do you know any uh U.S. soccer players? Can you name a few?

SPEAKER_05 9:57

Little did I know that while I recruited my classmates to watch the U.S. matches together in crowded air-conditioned basements that summer, a fellow soccer nerd and future friend was thousands of miles away sitting in the stands in South Africa.

SPEAKER_00 10:12

My name is Logan Matthews. So I was at the World Cup in 2010 in South Africa. Um, so my older brother and I went to that together. First story highlights just how the World Cup is such a global event. So I was I was there, South Africa's hosting, um, I think they played, I believe it was Mexico in the first game of that World Cup. And we were, we had kind of been traveling to see part of the country. So we just found a kind of an official FIFA fan zone kind of away from Johannesburg where we were.

SPEAKER_06 10:39

It's on here now. The goalkeeper's beaten, and South Africa have their first goal, Sapui Shovelala.

SPEAKER_00 10:46

And we were there, and uh South Africa scores the opening goal of the tournament, and this this beautiful South African man who I've never met before in my life comes running up to this random American and uh you know, cigarette in his mouth and just jumps in my arms, and I give him a hug and like twirl him around like we're on a dance floor, and it's like, what is going on here other than just the glory of the World Cup? I mean, you guys knew me in college, but I'm not necessarily the most unreserved man. Uh, so just to be like giving a random hug to a stranger and and uh my brother couldn't believe it. Anyway, but it's just like the joy of being a host country, especially, but also just different cultures coming together is fantastic. So that was one. And then I was also at the uh the Landon Donovan Algeria game. With a head up, how great for the playing distribution, brilliant.

SPEAKER_07 11:32

Landon Donovan. Oh, can you believe this? Go! USA! Send me through! Oh, it's incredible! You cut them right! Let's do it like this.

SPEAKER_00 11:53

I actually like don't remember that moment as much as I remember the celebration. Like what happened on the field is just like I only remember that from the TV now, but the celebration in the stance is just fantastic. More random hugging and just going crazy. And then we got in a car and we went to a Germany game afterwards later in the evening. So um great day.

SPEAKER_05 12:09

Logan and I met in college. He was an upperclassman when I was a freshman. He spotted me out of a crowd one night because I was wearing my American Outlaws t-shirt, which is the official supporters group of U.S. soccer. It's kind of like an adult student section. Quickly we started talking about soccer, his travels to the World Cup, and everything in between. After we both graduated, Logan and I reconnected thanks to a mutual friend Rob, who started a group text called My Only Soccer Watching Friends. For seven years we've discussed, debated, and commiserated about our shared club team, Tottenham Hotspur, the United States teams, and just life in general. Rob played soccer in high school, but it was in the early days of the game's popularity when it was difficult to watch club matches on TV. So the World Cup was the major moment to engage with global soccer.

SPEAKER_04 13:03

Hi, my name is Rob Birkheiser. I've been friends with Luke since like 2010. Give me your favorite World Cup watch memory. My family was vacationing in Silver Lake Sand Dunes, Michigan, and I was like surfing down these sand dunes, like snowboarding on sand, and my mom was like, Oh, I want to try that. And she tried it and she broke her leg in half. And we had to get we had to get like uh like medical boat to take her to the road to get her in an ambulance to go to the Muskegon hospital, and then like my sister and I showed up to the hospital the next day, and it was the day of was it was it France Italy? Yeah, the final 2007. And so my mom's like cast it up, she's in a bed, my whole family's just sitting next to her, she's kind of resting, she's doing fine, and then Zidane headbuts.

SPEAKER_07 13:54

He's just headed maturati in the middle of a chest. What was Zedan thinking of? Then it's done's career ends with being sent off in the World Cup final.

SPEAKER_04 14:05

I had it on in the hospital room, and I freaked out. I was like, oh my gosh! Woke my mom up from her slumber. She was so angry. Like I was supposed to be like grieving for her broken leg or something, but it was like the World Cup's on.

SPEAKER_05 14:22

Shortly after our group chat Discord started, Rob recruited one of his friends to join our chatterbox of the global game.

SPEAKER_03 14:28

My name's Tucker Bidding. So I was not like a huge soccer fan for like most of my life. Uh, I didn't play soccer, wasn't really into it. Uh, but I started playing FIFA because I love video games, uh, but didn't really have like a team or anything, wasn't following anybody from the Premier League. And then in 2016, I met Rob. We found uh connection and a love through FIFA, and that's when he introduced me to Tottenham. It was kind of a weird story. I mean, I I never was really into soccer other than just playing the video game because I enjoyed it and uh met a crazy friend, and the rest is kind of history.

SPEAKER_05 15:06

So did you feel like the uh FIFA experience lived up to the like watching on TV? Because that's a big gap for some people.

SPEAKER_03 15:12

Um, if FIFA was anything like real life, I'd be making a lot more money as one of the top managers in the world. Um, and I I stand by that.

SPEAKER_05 15:26

Did you ever grow up watching the World Cup? Were you like one of those people that like every four years? But like so, like what was your like one of your best memories of watching the World Cup after you got into soccer?

SPEAKER_03 15:37

Logan reminded me when he was talking about being in South Africa and just having some random person uh come up to him, hug him when South Africa scored. So in 2010, in the summer, I was in Brazil with uh athletes in action on a volleyball tour. And we were there during the World Cup, and we happened to be at this little, like, I don't even remember what this place was. It was like a community center we got connected with that did some like local outreach and stuff. We were like up, we got off like a main highway outside of I think Sao Paulo, and we were like up in the hills. And Brazil was playing the one night, and we couldn't watch it, like we didn't have like a TV up there to watch it. But one of the guys who was up there who was uh Brazilian, like was tracking it, and they scored, and you could just hear like people like cheering and like setting off fireworks and doing all this stuff, like in these little villages, like down the hill. That's pretty amazing. That was that was it was unbelievable, and we were just sitting up there like, oh my gosh, they must have scored. But it was crazy, they were just like popping off fireworks and screaming and yelling, doing all this stuff. It was wild, like the energy was crazy there.

SPEAKER_05 16:58

Our group is a fascinating mix of my generation's attraction to the game. Some through playing it or through the FIFA video game, others a family connection or cultural upbringing, or like me, people with a strange obsession with non-American sports culture. No matter how you've fallen in love with soccer, one way or another, a World Cup memory is part of the story. So here are some of your favorite memories. Cameron said, when Deuce, Clint Dempsey, scored against Ghana in 2014, I jumped on a table at a restaurant and they threatened to kick me out. Caitlin said following the World Cup while I was living in Spain. They didn't do very well that year. I believe that was 2014 when Spain was the defending World Cup champions and lost in the first round of the knockout stage. Jake said the insane amount of Vuvuzela's in 2010. Dana said, not my favorite, but memorable, was of course the same as Rob when Zidadine Zidane had betted Matsurati in 2006. Matt said Robin Van Persie's Flying Dutchman had her goal. Peter said, This prompt got the Shakira song from South Africa stuck in my head. Audrey said, Shakira's Waka Waka song and dance in 2010. Apparently, Shakira, not the football, was the most memorable part of that tournament. Bennett said Landon Donovan's goal versus Algeria, of course. And Mike, a good friend of the show and also my co-host over at Jurassic Pod, shares a memory of that same match versus Algeria.

SPEAKER_01 18:41

I remember in 2009 when the United States competed in the Confederations Cup in South Africa, and all the news was buzzing about the United States men having beaten Spain, we're going to play Brazil, and that got me really interested in the U.S. men's national team. So I watched that game against Brazil, and even though they lost, I was really excited for the World Cup the next year. And when the World Cup came around, I was watching every game religiously. I knew I had studied the roster. I was taking time out of my day, but nobody else that I knew was doing this. It was just me. And I just remember celebrating alone in my living room when uh Landon Donovan scored the goal against Algeria to send the United States through. And I screamed at the top of my lungs and I tore off my shirt. I ran down the street of my neighborhood, and nobody else was doing anything. And I just thought, am I the only one that just witnessed the greatest sports moment in United States soccer history? And that's when I fell in love with soccer.

SPEAKER_05 20:05

What makes the World Cup so captivating? Sure, it's scarcity, but it's more than that. Unlike the Olympics, the World Cup is a singular event. Just soccer. It's also a simple game. It doesn't take much brain power to get involved. If your team kicks the ball and the other team's net, cheer. I think the most common denominator of the World Cup is unifying behind one team. In a nation that seems more divided than ever, to cheer on one American team, no matter your race, identity, politics, income, or college football affiliation, it's a scarce moment in our culture. For a few weeks, every American can come under the banner of unity, whether in tears or in celebration. For every minority act of nationalism, there are moments of global unity, especially when the Irish are in the tournament. For every act of sports washing, there are millions of funds invested into the opportunities for underprivileged children. For every glorified superstar, there's always a moment of human triumph over tragedy. Are the shared memories of hugging a complete stranger at a watch party or tearful pats on the back from your best friend after a missed penalty kick worth it all? I'm not sure. It feels like an impossible dichotomy as a sports fan and a fan of soccer. But in actuality, the World Cup is just a reflection of humanity, both the good and the bad, wrapped up into a three-week circus. If you do watch the World Cup this year, I implore you to embrace the beauty that cuts through the dark side of our humanity. How in just 90 minutes of anticipation, anxiety, and ecstasy, you can stand next to a fellow American and say together, Go Go USA. Thanks for listening and watching. We have plenty more to come on the show this summer. I can't wait to share what's ahead. Thanks for listening and watching again, and we'll talk to you next time on least important things.