RILEY GAINES: World Cup visitors are reminding Americans what makes this country great

Some of the astir wholesome stories connected the net lately haven't travel from celebrities oregon influencers. They've travel from radical visiting America for the archetypal clip due to the fact that of the World Cup.

Take Sebastian, for example. Sebastian is simply a German shot instrumentality who flew to the United States initially apprehensive.

Like truthful galore radical overseas, he'd spent years consuming headlines portraying America arsenic a state overrun by crime, part and chaos. Before helium adjacent stepped disconnected the plane, helium was disquieted astir his safety.

Sebastian watched Germany play Paraguay successful Boston. After the game, helium recovered himself stranded without a mode backmost to his hotel. That's erstwhile helium met a antheral named Bob.

Bob, a Japanese exploring America during the World Cup, became a societal media sensation for his high-energy videos experiencing antithetic facets of the United States during his archetypal clip travels crossed the nation. (Elizabeth Heckman)

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Bob didn't cognize Sebastian from Adam. He didn't inquire astir politics. He didn't attraction wherever helium was from. He saw a antheral successful request and didn’t deliberation doubly astir helping retired by giving him a thrust backmost to his hotel.

In a video that's present been viewed millions of times, Sebastian fought backmost tears portion describing the kindness helium experienced from Bob. He admitted helium was much upset astir leaving America than helium was astir Germany being eliminated from the World Cup.

Full honesty? I tin deliberation of plentifulness of Americans I'd commercialized for Sebastian.

With lone the title lucifer remaining, societal media has been flooded with videos from planetary visitors documenting what they've recovered here. They rave astir the hospitality of mean Americans. They marvel astatine our diversity, our nationalist parks, our food, our culture, and yes, adjacent our patriotism.

Team USA fans were retired successful afloat unit to spot the US Men's National Team play World Cup shot connected US ungraded for the archetypal clip successful 32 years. (Photo by ETIENNE LAURENT / AFP))

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They've danced successful the streets with implicit strangers aft matches. They've sung "Take Me Home, Country Roads" shoulder-to-shoulder with thousands of Americans they'd ne'er met. They've stood speechless overlooking the Grand Canyon. They've tried existent American barbecue for the archetypal time. They've talked astir feeling welcomed successful cities they were told to fear.

Watching these videos, I kept asking myself 1 question: Why bash radical from halfway astir the satellite look to admit America much than truthful galore Americans do? Maybe it's due to the fact that they haven't spent years being told to hatred it.

For decades, we've been fed a mentation of America that focuses astir exclusively connected what's broken. Turn connected the quality and you'd deliberation our streets are perpetually connected fire, neighbors hatred 1 another, and each speech ends successful a governmental screaming match. That's simply not however astir Americans really live.

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The unfortunate world is outrage sells. Fear gets clicks and struggle gets ratings. Good quality seldom goes viral due to the fact that it's harder to monetize contented that leaves radical feeling hopeful.

If you devour outrage each day, yet you go outraged. If each header tells you your state is falling apart, yet you commencement believing it.

The aforesaid anti-American propaganda is being pushed successful our acquisition system. Teachers, professors, and different educators are speedy to thatch students astir America's failures portion hardly covering its successes. Kids larn astatine a young property that America is filled with colonizers and oppressors, and are near feeling shameful and blameworthy for their practice oregon their tegument color.

Fans of the United States observe during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round Of 32 lucifer betwixt USA and Bosnia and Herzegovina astatine San Francisco Bay Area Stadium connected July 1, 2026 successful Santa Clara, California. (Alex Pantling - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)

For clarity, I’m not saying we shouldn’t thatch students astir slavery, segregation, Japanese internment, and each different acheronian section of our history. Pretending those things ne'er happened serves nary one. But that's not the full story.

We besides abolished slavery. We defeated fascism. We landed connected the moon. We built the astir innovative system the satellite has ever seen. Millions of radical person willingly near everything down for the accidental to execute the American dream. That doesn't hap by accident.

Loving your state doesn't necessitate believing it's perfect. It requires recognizing that, contempt its flaws, it's worthy protecting and improving. Ironically, it took millions of overseas shot fans to punctual galore Americans of that.

Sports person ever had a mode of cutting done the noise. Anyone who's ever played connected a squad oregon adjacent sat successful the stands knows it. It’s the 1 spot wherever identities and feelings don’t substance — well, astatine slightest they shouldn’t.

Norway fans execute the Viking enactment successful Times Square, New York, up of the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group I lucifer against Senegal connected June 21, 2026. (John Sibley/Reuters)

Nobody cares what colour your tegument is erstwhile you people the game-winning goal. Nobody asks whether you're Catholic, Baptist, Jewish, Muslim, oregon lone amusement up to religion connected Christmas and Easter. Nobody pauses to inquire who you voted for earlier celebrating a touchdown oregon lifting a trophy. The lone things that substance are your quality level and your dedication to winning.

Fans aren't overmuch different. For ninety minutes, thousands of implicit strangers go 1 team. They cheer together, observe together, and sometimes adjacent outcry together. That's the benignant of unity we've been told is impossible, yet it happens each azygous play successful stadiums crossed America.

Fans stitchery astatine designated FIFA World Cup instrumentality zones successful downtown Seattle to ticker 2026 FIFA World Cup matches connected elephantine screens connected July 6, 2026. (Ercin Erturk/Anadolu via Getty Images)

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Sports punctual america of thing we've forgotten successful astir each different portion of American life: We person a batch much successful communal than the radical and institutions making wealth disconnected our part would similar america to believe.

The World Cup didn't magically marque America kinder. It conscionable gave the remainder of the satellite an excuse to spot the America that has ever existed beneath the click-bait headlines. The America wherever idiosyncratic similar Bob helps a stranded alien due to the fact that it's the close happening to do. It’s the aforesaid America that millions of visitors are present discovering isn't the caricature they've been sold.

My biggest takeaway from this World Cup isn't astir shot astatine all. Maybe it's that America looks a full batch amended erstwhile you acquisition it yourself alternatively of letting idiosyncratic other archer you what to deliberation astir it. Most Americans could basal to retrieve that too.

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