How I became addicted to football – just in time for the World Cup

I've gone from being completely uninterested in football all these years to getting hooked on the game, thanks to social media.

‘Excited about the World Cup? Choose your side to unlock new custom World Cup Features. Love every second of the #WorldCup on Twitter.”

This question, posed to me and millions of Twitter users around the world just before the games kicked off this month, created a sense of urgency in me – did I need to pick a team?

But by no stretch of the imagination do I call myself a football fan. Unlike 2010, when I did manage to exercise some selective processing and retention when it came to footie news, this year my social media stream diverts my attention to any development in the field.

There is no escaping the topic.

“What team are you supporting?” asked a friend. When I mentioned it wasn’t my thing, he seemed genuinely surprised and couldn’t comprehend my lack of interest. “Football is the world’s biggest sporting event. You’ve got to get up to speed. Pick a team.”

I’m not going to disagree with the claim. Numbers out there suggest that, along with the football-crazy crowd that used up their holidays to attend the World Cup in South Africa in 2010 or are happy to pay the extra cost to subscribe to football channels at home, there was a certain amount of hype among non-followers as well. Fifa recorded about 909.6 million television viewers who tuned in to at least one minute of the 2010 final at home.

Being indifferent to the World Cup isn’t an option anymore. But what has interested me more is how four years of pent-up World Cup passion has trickled down to every field of study and conversation, even catching the fancy of people who don’t get it at all.

For followers of scientific theories, the aerodynamics behind the World Cup ball is an interesting read. Nasa scientists dissect the ball dynamics to explain that this year the ball, with six large panels, is much more predictable and stable in flight. At the same time, we gain some insight into the thriving industry in the city of Sialkot city in Pakistan, where these balls by adidas are made.

For those who work with numbers, a breakdown on why this year’s tournament is on its way to becoming the highest-scoring World Cup is an article to bookmark. One of the reasons, according to reports, is because of the warm weather which promotes openness and more risk taking this season.

Visual art lovers will see a plethora of football-related images and photographs on their social feeds. Street art in Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo perfectly sum up both pro- and anti-World Cup sentiments of citizens in Brazil.

All that related reading does end up piquing an interest in the game itself. I am more inclined to learning about football now than I would have been a few years back.

I decided to accept every game viewing night invitation this time and turn to my Facebook and Twitter feed to, as my friend suggested, “get up to speed” with the dominant opinions and pay more attention to on-field strategy to pick a team.

Brazil, according to updates, are a crowd favourite because of their past wins and home advantage. Argentina seems to have strong support, thanks to the captain Lionel Messi. Iran got a thumbs up and “respect” status updates for putting up a spectacular fight against Argentina in their game last week.

I’m hooked. And well-informed enough to customise my Twitter account.