Iranian players thank Los Angeles — and remind us that football brings people together
At this year’s World Cup in America, something really cool is happening off the pitch.
After Iran’s national team held Belgium to a 0-0 draw, the Iranian players left a handwritten note in their locker room. It said: “Thank you, Los Angeles, for your hospitality.” That’s a big deal, because the Iranian team had a really tough time just getting to America — there was loads of paperwork and drama because the two countries don’t exactly get along politically. But the people of LA made them feel welcome anyway.
That’s the thing about Americans at this World Cup — they’re brilliant at joining in with everyone else’s fun. Even when they don’t know the words, they’re learning foreign fans’ chants and songs in the stands. Ecuador’s chant “¡Sí se puede!” — which means “Yes, it can be done!” — has picked up loads of new fans who’ve never even been to Ecuador.
And it’s not just Los Angeles. The good vibes are spreading across the whole country:
- Boston is full of fans in kilts cheering for Scotland
- Lawrence, Kansas has warmly welcomed Algeria supporters
- Philadelphia saw Iraqi fans dancing in the rain — even after their team lost
- New York City has been grinning at Norway fans wearing Viking horns and pretending to “row” boats around Times Square
LA has a special connection to Iran, too. So many Iranian families have settled there over the years that people nickname it “Tehrangeles” — a mix of Tehran (Iran’s capital) and Los Angeles. At the matches, Iranian-Americans booed their home country’s anthem (because many of them left Iran for political reasons) but cheered loudly for the Iranian players. It’s complicated — but it shows how sport lets people separate a government from its people.
Scientists actually have a fancy term for this warm, buzzy feeling you get when strangers come together and connect: collective effervescence. A French sociologist named Émile Durkheim came up with it. Basically, it means the special energy that happens when a crowd shares a moment of pure joy together.
The Iranian players’ note ended by wishing for “peace, respect and friendship” between nations. Yes, the World Cup is a massive, money-making machine. But a simple handwritten note reminded everyone that its real magic is something you can’t buy — the feeling of suddenly belonging with people you’ve never met before.
Disclaimer
Views expressed above are the author’s own.
