This article is published in conjunction with the new issue of Spacing focused on soccer in Toronto.
Soccer may be the beautiful game, but this summer’s World Cup event is marred by its share of ugliness. Globally, as millions prepare to travel to 16 host cities including Toronto and Vancouver, there is the uncertain threat of civil unrest or violence at matches, along with the very real fear of displacement and state-sponsored brutality in a United States that deported half a million people last year. Locally, there is the opportunism of cities charging multiples of transit fares to stadia in New Jersey and Boston, not to mention Toronto’s proposed then quickly retracted plan to exact a $10 entry fee for access to a public fan festival — the very site intended as a no-barrier commons where we can all enjoy a free party together.
The pettiness of these moves, even fully acknowledging sport and commerce as bedfellows, seems entirely out of proportion with the scale of an event that will engage 6 billion people worldwide, likely making it the largest cultural phenomenon ever.
But what if the World Cup can be a coalescing force for good in our polarized and anxious lives? What if it brings people together across differences at a time when collectivism feels like it is on a slow decline toward distinction?
This is the question — thanks to some prompting from young people — that we have been asking ourselves at Maximum City, where we are co-leading a multiyear project to study and improve the impact of major sporting events like the World Cup on families. Across our engagements thus far with thousands of children and youth in three host cities — Guadalajara, Toronto, and New York/New Jersey — the most common complaint about the event is that it is too expensive. With fee increases for public services reaching the hundreds and ticket prices exceeding the thousands, this is not surprising. What’s refreshing is that the most commonly cited benefit of the World Cup, according to youth, is its clarifying power to bring people together: in community, across nations, between cultures, and beyond sport.
The World Cup brings fans from across the world together, builds community in young people in a very divided world. — Age 15, Toronto
It’s good for getting along with more people and demonstrates peace both on and off the pitch. — Age 15, Guadalajara
I think the World Cup is extremely good for all people in cities across North and South America. It introduces people to so many different cultures and an amazing sporting atmosphere. But it is an experience that is completely unattainable for young people because of how expensive it is. — Age 17, New York/New Jersey
At a time when we sorely need connection to place and the ability to see and listen to each other across differences, this may be the most important message to spread about the World Cup. And for those of us in Toronto and Vancouver questioning the social and economic value proposition, it is the singular message to carry forward into the final stages of event planning and delivery. Make the World Cup about spending nonjudgmental time with others in public space, in the declivity of The Bentway or the sanctuary of Hastings Park. Make it about the lost art of talking to strangers and debating a big cultural thing we are all sharing in. Make it an open and inclusive party where walk-ins are welcome, not a financialized and securitized premium experience. Make it about getting to know the people and the culture of one of the lesser known — to you — 47 other countries in the tournament. Make it about humanism, not nihilism. And take the party into neighbourhoods far from the fan sites and venues that are the focal points of our attention.
Recently, Toronto’s taglines of The World in a City and A City of Neighbourhoods have been ringing hollow. Torontonians mostly stick to their own tribe these days, complaining about other neighbourhoods without ever leaving their own. The city is starting to look and feel like dozens of global cities where families have been priced or driven out by declining quality of life. The concept of “uTOpia” — Toronto as an urban ideal and world class city — peaked almost 20 years ago with a series of books by Coach House Press that now feel quaint, like historical ephemera. A new generation has a more rational handle on this city worn by broken systems.
The World Cup is good because it’s a big event that helps the community get to know each other better. — Age 13, Guadalajara
I think the World Cup is good for our city because it brings the community together and helps people of all gender, sexual orientation, and background connect. — Age 11, Toronto
It’s an exciting place to get together with people you know and people from different places of the world and watch the same thing, to get excited for the same thing and being happy is healthy and good for young people’s wellbeing. — Age 14, Toronto
Toronto’s potential tagline for the World Cup, however, holds significant promise: A Home Game for Every Country. This makes immediate sense to those of us who have experienced Toronto during past World Cups, when for six weeks fans from every nation celebrate in volume and colour to make a richness in the fabric of our city. And even more auspiciously, it makes sense to the generation set to inherit our cities, echoing the aspirations of the young people in our study. The beautiful game at its best is not just a game, but a language for talking to each other and understanding why we are different and competing but still in this together.
The World Cup brings people together to enjoy watching sport recreationally, connecting young people from all over the world. — Age 14, Toronto
I think it’s good because it brings the community together and age doesn’t matter when everyone is bonding over a sport they love. — Age 15, Toronto
Josh Fullan is the founder and executive director of Maximum City.
Editor’s Note: Spacing co-founder and senior editor Todd Harrison is a Maximum City employee, and is involved in the organization’s World Cup project.
