Anthropologically Speaking: The World Cup | Sports & Politics Around the world, the World Cup is offering a vivid reminder that patriotism is not only American, and it is not only political. We see people draped in flags, singing anthems, painting their faces, wearing national colors, gathering in homes, cafés, stadiums, and public squares. Through sport, people perform belonging. They celebrate history, kinship, language, place, memory, and shared identity. Anthropology reminds us that patriotism is far more complex than loyalty to a government. It is woven from ritual, symbols, stories, songs, landscapes, family histories, and the communities that teach us who “we” are. Nations are not only legal entities. They are imagined and practiced communities, sustained through everyday acts of meaning. This is why patriotism can feel joyful, painful, conflicted, or deeply complicated. A person may love their country while criticizing its leaders. They may cherish a national culture while questioning the actions of the state. They may feel pride, grief, hope, and disappointment all at once. Perhaps patriotism is not simply a belief. Perhaps it is a relationship. A relationship with people, place, memory, history, and possibility. As fans around the world celebrate their nations through sport, we are reminded that patriotism is not only something people declare. It is something people do. What does patriotism mean to you? Can love, criticism, pride, and disappointment coexist within the same sense of belonging?