Via NPR: Are You For America? Or How One Person Learned To Cheer On The U.S.

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A U.S. fan enjoys the atmosphere ahead of the match against Algeria.

It was a hot day in Manhattan. A few friends had gathered to watch the U.S. play England at a small bar not far from Times Square. When I got there, people were stacked on the sidewalk getting a peek at the TVs inside. I squeezed my way into the bar and headed toward the back, where my friends were until the French owner stopped me.

“Are you for America?” he asked sternly with a gruff, drawling Napoleonic intonation. It certainly didn’t sound like a question of sport; it sounded like he was asking if I believed in American ideals of democracy and free speech, free enterprise and unalienable rights.

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