Opinion: Why It's Good That "We" Lost

Let me admit one thing right away: I've never been a dedicated follower of Fussball. I don't know much about the sport and am highly unlikely to become a regular visitor to Berlin's Olympiastadion -- or any other, for that matter -- during soccer season. A month ago, I demonstratively boycotted the general excitement in the office as Germany played Costa Rica in the World Cup opener.

And then it hit me. Like tens of millions of my fellow countrymen, I caught the bug that let perfectly reasonable human beings run around town with a clip-on Mohican in black, red and yellow (the yellow -- of course -- is meant to be golden, but for some reason the makers of products in Germany's national colors never seem to get that right).

But back to that bug. I've been watching games whenever possible, working on the appropriate screams and hand gestures that are required of any self-respecting soccer fan. When I realized that I'd be spending the better part of Tuesday's fateful semi-final between Germany and Italy on a plane, I secretly hoped that the airline would -- in a grand gesture of patriotism -- broadcast the game live in the air.

A saving grace?

Unfortunately it didn't, leaving me to witness the last, gruesome minutes of the game in a bar at Berlin's airport after landing. Heading home on the subway, I watched the train fill with thoroughly depressed German fans.

I watched a boy slump to the ground and hide his tears behind the black, red and yellow hat he was still wearing. I watched a young woman stroke a neatly folded German flag in her lap as she glanced at her downbeat boyfriend with worried eyes. I watched a grumpy teenager in his original German team soccer jersey, who looked like he was ready to punch someone until his father told him to look at an advertisement on the window behind him.

"Jesus Rettet," it read. Jesus Saves.

Germany's lesson

The teen chuckled and suddenly it dawned on me. While Germany's Fourth of July might have been incredibly painful, it could teach the country a lesson that's much more important than winning the World Cup.

Which lesson? That it's okay to lose, especially after giving it your best -- both on the pitch and on the streets. That Germans seem to have won something that's much more important than the short-lived joy of a Weltmeister title: the ability to celebrate their team and their country without making others feel threatened by a new-found, friendly patriotism.

Last night, the streets fell silent. They lacked the honking concerts that followed the recent victories of Germany's soccer team. But this morning, the black, red and yellow flags were still flying atop cars and Germans were looking forward to cheering for their guys in their final World Cup game for third place on Saturday.

"Now more than ever," read the shirt that one TV commentator put on after Tuesday's match. He praised "our" performance and said that Germany's young team has a bright future ahead.

As far as I know, the European Championships are coming up in 2008. Let's try that for starters. I'll be watching. And I'll keep my fingers crossed.