How Sports Can Bring a Nation Together

Football, also known as soccer in North America, seems to be the world's sport. Only North America, Australia, and New Zealand have yet to jump on the football fever band wagon. As an ice hockey enthusiast in Canada, I find myself deprived of the exhiliration, camaraderie, and competition that takes over when the hockey season begins. With the warm weather in Ghana and absence of ice, I have decided that I may as well embrace the local sport and fill the sports void in my life.

With the African Nations Cup coming to Ghana in January 2008, there is not a better time to become familiar with this sport! So far, I have been fortunate enough to see a few games on television, but even with the Ghanaians shouting every goal or near goal, nothing compares to the Four Nations Cup game that I got to attend.

November 18th at 5pm, Ghana took on Togo in the tournament. A group of friends bought tickets to attend the event. Tickets were 5 Ghana cedis for the upper deck (roughly 6 Canadian dollars), 10 Ghana cedis for the lower deck, or 50 Ghana cedis for the VIP seats which included entry into the locker rooms to mingle with Ghana's Black Stars players. We opted for the lower deck seats and could not believe how close we were! In row G, we found ourselves 7 rows from the field. Little did we know that the glass protecting fans from the ball would be so difficult to see through with the sun shining! We quickly learned that the seats would not fill up and moved a little higher so that we could see above the glass.

The atmosphere in the stadium was incredible. Ghana colours were proudly displayed in the form of jerseys, flags, hats, body paint, etc.. Fans were chanting the soccer theme with pride and enthusiasm. As I know little about the sport, I learned quickly by following the sounds in the stands when there was a goal, when there was a near miss, and when the crowd were dissatisfied with the referee's call. Ghana's team was evidently superior to Togo's and won the game easily with 2 goals to none.

They went on a few nights later to defeat Benin for first place in the tournament with a 4-0 win. We were staying in a guest house since we were travelling for work and I managed to catch the end of the game with the staff of the guest house. I could certainly sympathize with the zest and enlightenment that accompanied their team's win as I experienced when my team, the Ottawa Senators, made it to the Stanley Cup Finals the previous season. This small tournament gave me a glimpse into what Ghana will be like during the African Cup of Nations. It made me realize that sports worldwide share the same phenomenon: the fans want something to believe in and want to be a part of celebrating a win. What could be more satisfying than that? I cannot wait to see how Ghana does and will certainly be among those decked out in red, yellow, and green. Hopefully celebrating in the streets at the tournaments' end.