The World Watches

This morning, I sat up in bed and made two realisations. First, the FIFA World Cup has begun. That came around quickly. Second, I still hadn’t watched the NBA Finals Game 4 from the previous day.

Naturally, that meant a split-screen setup was on the cards. Knicks-Spurs projected on the TV. South Korea versus Czechia on my computer. Of course, the multi-tasking meant that I wasn’t really focused on either game, so I ended up turning off the World Cup after Czechia scored a header to tune in full-time for the second half of the NBA.

Interestingly enough, I just check the score, and South Korea came back to win it 2-1! Why do I care about these two nations playing football? Well, I don’t particularly. But the World Cup transcends borders in that way. It is the spectacle that the world watches. Stakes, pride, and passion make for pretty compelling viewing. I’ll need to go back and watch the highlights for this one, I think.

Anyway, I think I made the right decision tuning into the NBA. Whilst the World Cup has no real competitor when it comes to global viewership, the NBA Finals—particularly, these NBA Finals—might be the closest thing to it. You can hate the Knicks, but having New York battling for a championship is undoubtedly good for basketball if you like an energetic series. Nothing beats the deafening crowd of Madison Square Garden on an average night, let alone Game 4 of the finals, when the home team mounts a 29-point comeback in the second half, capped off by a game-winning tip-in. Side note: OG Anunoby is incredibly good, and would be a very deserving Finals MVP, in my opinion.

Of course, when you have the likes of Donald Trump and Taylor Swift in attendance, the publicity reaches a little further than it might otherwise. But, besides all the noise, the basketball has not been overshadowed. Every game has been incredible. The storylines are aplenty. The best teams are playing on the biggest stage.

As it should, the FIFA World Cup will capture the entire of the world for the next few weeks. That being said, the city of New York might go up in flames if the Knicks win in San Antonio this weekend. Perhaps even more so if they can finish the job back home at MSG. The whole world may be watching, but I will. Great time to be a sports fan, even if a slightest more distant one than usual.