World Cup Fever

Simon Gregory, an assistant research professor in Duke's Center for Human Genetics, can usually be found in his lab working on chromosome research.

These days, though, Gregory and colleague Stephan Z¼chner occasionally slip over to a Medical Center conference room to catch part of a FIFA World Cup soccer match.

The World Cup, now underway in Germany, is the most-watched sporting event in the world. But according to a recent Gallup poll, only one in three Americans say they plan to watch any of the action, which is why Gregory, who is from Australia, has been surprised to find a high level of interest among his American colleagues.

"It's like talking about the weather -- this is a lifestyle for some people," he says. "You can appreciate the sport that people enjoy once you immerse yourself in that type of culture."

Gregory is one of many in Duke's international community who love and appreciate the game. Around campus, it is not unusual to find a melting pot of cultures huddled around a TV set. At Twinnes in the Fitzpatrick Center's lobby, for instance, nearly 50 people recently squeezed shoulder to shoulder in the cafe's booth seats to witness the games. Some even brought along laptops to keep up with other games going on at the same time.

Over at the Bryan Center, a group of students packed a lounge to eat their lunches and watch some soccer.

"I grew up on the sport, and to see it grow in America is cool," said Charlie Suwankosai, a Trinity senior from Houston who has managed to watch every single match while also going to classes.

Sunwankosai believes that more Americans should be paying attention to the sport.

"It's a world sport and the U.S. is part of the world," he said.

Also watching in the Bryan Center that day were two graduate students from Nigeria.

Soji Sajuyigbe who is from Lagos, was pleased that the West African nation of Ghana had advanced to the second round. "This is an enrichment for us because it's an unifying force back home," he said.

Fellow countryman Stephen Gbejule Odaibo explained, "We are supporting each other as if it were us. Because we are neighbors it's as if my country is playing, too."

Alas, Ghana was eliminated in the second round this week by the powerful Brazilian team.

One Duke family that still has a rooting interest in the outcome is the Goodacres, who emigrated from Birmingham, England, last September. Mark Goodacre, an associate professor of religion, and his wife Viola are blogging about their experiences in America (http://uktous.blogspot.com), but also commenting about the games, the quality of the broadcasters and other World Cup-related topics.

For example, Viola recently wrote that she remains concerned about her favorite team, even though the English team has advanced to the quarter-finals: "As for England, we finished top of our group. Even so, during each of their matches, I couldn't help thinking that they needed someone to light a fire under them to get them going."

Even Duke administrators such as Provost Peter Lange have managed to catch a little of the action. Lange says it is not usual to see members of the Duke community rooting for a particular country that they have visited.

Some members of the Duke community have actually been able to attend a World Cup match this month in Germany.

Christopher Loftus, a midfielder on the Duke soccer team, spent a week in Germany playing "friendly" international games and visiting the sights. He also was present for the United States' opening-round match against the Czech Republic. "Seeing the crowd was very exciting. Never have I seen a scene like that. It's very different from watching a game in the United States," said Loftus, a rising senior.

Loftus had high expectations for the U.S. in its first match, but had a completely different mood once the U.S. lost 3-0. "Everyone was drained when they walked out of the stadium," he said. The U.S. has since been eliminated from the competition.

The quarter-finals start on Friday morning when Germany plays Argentina and Italy plays Ukraine. There's a good chance that people around campus will again be clustered around TV sets to see who will move on for the Cup.