If you would have asked me ahead of time, my hunch—fair or not—would have been that a gymnasium filled with wrestlers’ parents and fans, particularly in the western reaches of rural South Dakota, would not have a lot of empathy and patience for needy little creatures threatening to disrupt their earnest games.
Despite the headlines of worker deaths, FIFA corruption and L.G.B.T. human rights violations (and yes, banned beer), billions around the world welcome the World Cup with relief.