SPEAKER_00 0:00

What it do, what it do, it's your boy Andrew Sproul and you're tapped into Middle of the Fence Podcast. If you're watching the video version, you already see the Argentina jersey, so you probably know where this episode is headed. Because this week is a special one. The 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off tomorrow. And while most people are focused on the matches, the predictions, and who might lift the trophy, I want to talk about something a little deeper. I want to talk about identity, belonging, culture, and the feeling of being connected to something bigger than yourself. Because for millions of people around the world, the World Cup isn't just about soccer. It's about family, it's about heritage, it's about pride. And for people who grew up between different cultures or environments, sometimes it's also about understanding where you come from. So today we're talking about sports, but we're also talking about identity, perseverance, and why events like the World Cup mean so much to so many people. Let's get into it. What it do, what it do? It's your boy Andre Spruel, and you're tuning in to Middle of the Fence podcast. And if you're watching the video portion, I do have the Argentina jersey for La Selection. So hopefully we repeat and run it back. Thank you so much for taking time out of your day, whether you're listening, watching, or both. As I'd like to say, time is the most valuable thing on this earth because we can spend it, we can't make it back. So, as always, thank you for your time. And for this episode, this is a special edition because we have the World Cup happening this year. So let's get into it. Let's talk about something that sports sometimes reveals but goes way deeper than sports itself. And some of those themes include identity, belonging, culture, and the feeling of being connected to something bigger than yourself. Because I think that's part of why events like the World Cup touch so many people emotionally. Because it's not just about winning games, it's about pride, family, heritage, representation, memory, and community. And for a lot of people, especially people who grew up between different cultures or environments, the World Cup becomes bigger than soccer or football, if you call it that. It becomes personal. For me, both being both black American and Argentinian has always created an interesting relationship with identity. Because growing up, there were moments where I felt connected to both sides of myself. But there were also moments where I felt like I was still trying to fully understand both sides too. And I think a lot of people who grow up between cultures understand that feeling. Because you love where you come from, right? But sometimes you also feel like you're still discovering parts of yourself in real time. And what I love most about sports is that they have a unique way of reconnecting people to their roots, especially soccer. I mean, after all, soccer is the world sport, right? It crosses languages, crosses social classes, it crosses religions, it crosses nationalities, especially to the World Cup, it crosses political beliefs, and for one moment, people from completely different walks of life become emotionally connected to the same exact thing. So the World Cup goes deep for a lot of people. You know, it can, you know, like depending on on the country that your family is from and all that. But for me personally, the World Cup is what really allowed me to connect to my Argentinian roots through sports. And I always grew up being a big-time sports fan. I even wanted to be a sports anchor at one point, but uh got a little taste of an internship with that and realized this ain't for me. But my earliest memory was the 2002 World Cup. I was six years old, and it was in in Japan and Korea. So the games would come on at like 3 a.m. Eastern Standard Time, anywhere from like 3 a.m. to 6 a.m. Eastern Standard Time. And I remember Argentina had their very first group stage game at 3 a.m. And my grandfather, very Argentinian, guy rest his soul, he was the person that woke us all up at 2 a.m., made sure we all had some kind of jersey or blue and white or baby blue and white on, and supported the team. And from that moment, it made me realize even at a young age that, you know, it goes much deeper than sports. This is rooted in heritage and family history. So, you know, everyone resonates with it differently, and it doesn't necessarily have to be through the World Cup, but for me personally, this event is what allowed me to begin to connect to uh my roots and especially with my with my Argentinian roots. One thing I noticed during the World Cup was how emotionally invested entire countries become. And research in psychology has actually shown that collective identity and group belonging play a major role in emotional well-being and self-esteem. Topics which I've covered in previous episodes, so please be sure to check it out if you haven't. Because again, humans naturally seek connection through community and shared identity. And honestly, I think national sports can amplify that feeling. Because during moments like the World Cup, people temporarily stop viewing themselves only as individuals and start viewing themselves as part of something collective. And frankly, that's especially meaningful for immigrant families and multicultural households because heritage sometimes becomes something emotional before it becomes something fully understood intellectually. Let me repeat that one more time. Sometimes heritage becomes emotional before it becomes fully intellectual. You feel connected to the music, the food, the traditions, the energy, the passion before you can even fully explain why. And obviously, a huge part of this conversation for the World Cup has to be around Leonel Messi. Sorry to all the Ronaldo fans out there. Not really sorry though. Because he became more than just an athlete. Messi became symbolic, not just for Argentinians, but honestly for perseverance in general. Because for years people criticized him for never winning a World Cup despite his greatness. People questioned him, they compared him, they doubted him, and yet he kept going. And I think a lot of people relate to that more than they even realize, right? Especially for people carrying pressure, you know, whether it's pressure to succeed, pressure to represent their family, pressure to make their community proud, or even pressure to prove themselves. And I think one reason Messi's World Cup win became so emotional for people, especially for your boy, is because it represented delayed success. The idea that just because something doesn't happen immediately doesn't mean it's never coming. Messi, of course, the greatest of all time in my book. And, you know, his perseverance was something that really stuck with me because, again, from following the national team from the time I was six years old, you know, I saw all the finals that he lost. You know, he lost in the 2014 World Cup final, lost in the Copa America, which is the South American uh version of like the World Cup, let's say. You know, he lost that final in 2015, lost that final in 2016 with the Copa again, and he just kept coming up short and losing in the finals and always making it but never fully winning it. You know, and then he won the Copa America in 2021 and then finally got that elusive World Cup win in 2022, and he was in his late and he was in his early 30s at that point and debuted for the national team as a teenager, you know, at like 16 or or 18 or something like that. It just goes to show that the perseverance of not giving up. And at one point he even quit the national team because of how much it hurt him, you know. But it just goes to show like in life that whatever you got going on, you can persevere and overcome. Someone like Messi can't even step outside of his house without people mobbing him and has hundreds of millions of people, maybe even a billion people that saw his struggle firsthand and how long it took him to overcome. So whatever it is you're going through in life, take some time to think about that, right? You don't have, you most likely don't have a large number of people, you know, seeing what you have to persevere through and overcome, you know, but it's it's just a great reminder in life that, you know, no matter how long it takes, what's meant for you will ultimately find you when the time is right. And another thing I love about soccer or football specifically is how it exists across every socioeconomic level. You'll see kids playing soccer in wealthy neighborhoods, in struggling neighborhoods, on beautiful fields, on concrete. That's how I played growing up, in streets, in dirt, practically anywhere. Because the game itself is so simple. And there's honestly something really powerful about that. And research in sociology has even discussed how sports can strengthen social identity and create emotional unity across class divisions. And that's a big deal when you look at it from an international perspective. And the World Cup is one of the clearest examples of that happening globally. But I also think growing older changes how you view identity. Because when you're younger, sometimes you feel pressure to maybe choose one side of yourself: one culture, one environment, one identity. But maturity teaches you that identity is layered. You can belong to multiple worlds at once. And to be frank, growing up between different environments has probably given me personally more perspective than I realized at the time. Because now I don't view being between worlds as confusion anymore like I once did. I view it as understanding. My favorite part of the World Cup, and you can tie in the Olympics as well, but embracing identities and different cultures. Again, you see everyone from different walks of life coming together for the same common cause to hope that their team wins it all or just thankful to even be in the tournament, right? And that's what this podcast is about at its core. You know, it's the importance of embracing identity and regardless of your upbringing and what you had to go through, you know, it's all about being there to support one another. You know, just because someone, again, looks differently, talks differently, dresses differently, or grew up differently, frankly, that doesn't mean shit, you know, because again, it costs the same to be a good person and an understanding one as it does to be an asshole or someone that just doesn't care, that is too self-enveloped to want to embrace other cultures and identities, you know, because the world doesn't operate like that. It's not like the whole world operates where everyone is speaking the same language, has the same schedule, looks the same. You know, that's probably what purgatory looks like. I don't know. But uh it's important to embrace it. And if you feel uncomfortable maybe asking someone about their culture and all that, it's better to try and learn and grow in your understanding than to, you know, just be naive and or closed off to want to experience other cultures and uh and identities and you know, and just grows to and it'll allow you to grow in your empathy as well. A lot of people spend years trying to figure out where they belong. But maybe belonging is not about fully fitting into one box. Maybe it's about learning how all your experiences shaped who you are. Your culture, your upbringing, your environment, your struggles, your family, your experiences, all of it matters. And the question that I pose to my audience today is what's something from your culture or upbringing that will always be part of who you are? Again, what's something from your culture or upbringing that will always be part of who you are? Let me know in the comments. Shoot us a message or just take some time to reflect on it. And thank you so much for tuning in to this episode. And let me know who you're rooting for because you got you guys obviously know who your boy's rooting for. So Argentino is a sentimiento. No puebla. Ole, olé, olé. All right, let me let me stop. Let me stop. Thank you guys, and as always, no matter what side of the fence you grew up on, we're all more like than we think. My name is Andre Spruel. Catch you guys next time. Thank you so much for tuning in to this episode. If this episode resonated with you, go ahead and follow the podcast so you stay tapped in and show some love with that five-star rating. It really goes a long way, so we can continue reaching more people just like yourself. And if you want to see these conversations, pull up on YouTube and check out Middle of the Fence. Appreciate you for tuning in. Time is the most valuable thing we got.