living vicariously through sports and the pro-athletes playing them.

My older sister

called me on June 12th; merely minutes before the match between Nigeria and Argentina started. She told me she did not sleep well the night before because she was really excited and nervous.

My younger sister was sending PIN after PIN to my BlackBerry - she kept telling me if Nigeria plays poorly and were to lose she would be very upset.

I found myself relatively calm leading up to the match and felt very strong about our chances of securing a tie or winning the match. Neither of these premonitions came to pass since the outcome was a loss; a loss in a match in which my biased perspective unabashedly declares that we outplayed them and should have taken advantage of our opportunities. Yes, I am going to ignore the shots on goal which favored Argentina 20-9. Like I said, I am biased!

The disappointment of the loss to Argentina is still weighing heavily on my mind as Nigeria faces Greece. Although many of us are anticipating a victory - this is partially based on how sluggish the Greek team looked when they lost to South Korea - the fact still remains that talent and being expected to dominate and win does not necessarily result in that outcome. Switzerland proved this point by handing Spain a shocking loss.

With this in mind I will watch the match with measured confidence. Without players like John Obi Mikel and Obafemi Martins, the Super Eagles will have to maintain a high level of focus for every match. The trend so far in the early stage of this World Cup is that any team not named Germany needs to play their optimal best. One cannot even proclaim Germany to be a favorite yet because they simply did what Spain, Brazil and Portugal could not do: win or win convincingly.

I look for Nigeria to play better and win the match against Greece but it will not be easy. The Greek team was embarrassed by their loss to South Korea and will come out on Thursday with more fire under their boots.

In the spirit of the World Cup tournament, I say good luck to both sides but I will toss a horse shoe and a couple of four leaf clovers on the Super Eagles side.

Sportcularly yours,

The Vicarious Athlete

***As you read this, please be cognizant that this is not a knock on any other sport or sporting event. Rather, it is simply a celebration......***

The beautiful game! A moniker that befits a game that touches the soul and caresses ones national pride. The game unites countrymen and women alike; and brings together different nationalities to display a higher level of tolerance and acceptance of each other. On the pitch, respect is earned and given. Off the pitch, a euphoric sense of togetherness is fostered. One can should not see as merely a form of entertainment because it goes beyond just that. Although it is simply just a sporting event, it has managed to transcend beyond the realm of sports. It embodies qualities that we all strive to master in our daily undertakings.

*It begins with patience: Imagine the concept of going backwards in order to go forward. Imagine taking twenty minutes just to set up a single play that results in a goal. I have heard fans of other sports say that the game is boring because a match can often result in a 1-0 outcome. The beauty of the game lies in the actions and counter-actions that the players patiently set up in order to reach that sole moment of glory. Victory! French writer, Alexandre Dumas Pere best sums up what patience is. He wrote: "All human wisdom is summed up in two words - wait and hope"

*It continues with dedication/hard work: One must realize that ninety per cent of soccer players play the entire game; constantly moving at minimal or full speed. Teams are allowed six substitutions but most only use an average of three. It takes a high level of dedication and hard work to reach a level of fitness unlike most other athletes. Those who reach the highest level of their sport have sacrificed a lot of blood and sweat to get there. Soccer players in the world cup have sacrificed a bit more. A lot of them play all year round. In this case, most go from finishing up playing in their respective leagues around the world and go directly into playing for their nations in friendlies and eventually in the World Cup. Hard work, dedication and sacrifice epitomizes the make up of the average professional soccer player.

*It "caps" it off with the concept of teamwork/cooperativeness: Every sport requires teamwork but none relies on it as heavily as soccer does. Superstars dominate sports like basketball, football, hockey and baseball. A player like Kobe Bryant or LeBron James can carry a team. Quaterbacks like Tom Brady and Drew Brees are signal callers that can solely increase the chances of a teams success. I think you get the point here but one must be clear in stating that teamwork is an absolute commodity for every sport. Although soccer might have great players like Messi, Ballack, Essien and Drogba etc, the reliance on a full team effort is more evident in the sport. A great striker, more often than not, relies on a pass that sets him up the goal. Whether it is a 3-5-2, 4-3-3 or a 4-4-2 system of play, the players move in a strategic unison for the right moment to strike and score.

Generally, one can find these qualities in every sport but slightly higher doses are found in soccer.

This world cup features the most representation from African nations than ever before. All in all there are six African nations competing. History has already been made when South Africa was selected to be the host nation but the chances of further history being made is real. The hope is that one of these African nations will go further than any one of them has ever gone before. Every single person that is African or of African decent are either rooting for their respective countries or any - and all - African countries to do well.

It is only twenty four hours to go before the greatest sporting tournament in the world begins. If you're like me and you've been watching the World Cup since you were ten years old; the next month will bring out the inner child and super fan in you. You will not only have pride in your country or your team of choice but you will also enjoy the spirit of the tournament.

This years tournament is an extra special one because of the host nation. I am extremely proud because I feel every African nation is hosting and I'm confident that South Africa will do the rest of the continent proud, as the proxy host. Good luck to all the nations involved, but special good fortunes goes out to all the African nations that have their team represented.

SOUTH AFRICA, NIGERIA, ALGERIA, GHANA, CAMEROON & COTE D'IVOIRE.