World Cup and the depression/anxiety it has brought upon just within a time span of 24 hours is immense. I am VERY sad.

I have sacrificed my time to support and watch my country’s matches, telling myself it is a once in four year thing and this may be the year we show the world what we can do. My sacrifices were in vain.

Sports in Serbia (or formerly Yugoslavia) revolve mostly around team sports: football, basketball, water polo, volleyball, handball, and, more recently, tennis.  As a country, there has always been tremendous success in all of these team sports except soccer.  IMO the only bright spot in Serbian soccer came when Red Star Belgrade (Serbian club team) won a UEFA competition, winning the 1991 European Cup in Bari, Italy.

Since I came remember, I have followed sports, music, pop culture, politics etc. in the former Yugoslavia (my dad’s birth place)....but today, I was asked why I was so depressed about the loss.  The question made me think.... and my answer was one that the asker didn’t understand. (More on this in a second)

Yesterday in the early in the afternoon, I left work early, to see Serbia’s National Soccer team once again disappoint me so much! Australia vs. Serbia was the most stressful match I have witness in a long time. Words can express the feelings that overcame me when I witness them not qualify for the next round.  Can anything good come from having so much hope for your team at the World Cup?  Even though Serbia did beat Germany earlier in the tournament (Serbia’s first win as an independent nation), it still can't replace the void created by yesterday’s loss. What happened to the Serbs?! I have to acknowledge that Australia were good with their tactics. But like all sports, teams are at the mercy of the referees. Once Serbia made it 2-1, they had a goal called because of off-side which should have been allowed. 

Then of course there was the Australia hand ball in the penalty area. The look on the Aussie player's face was as guilty as Kuzmanovic when he was caught in the first Serbia game. A goal on either of those missed calls would have put Serbia into the second round since they would have been second on tie-breakers over Ghana. This world cup experience has once again just brought upon another big round of tsunami sized SIGHS! They tried and I acknowledge that but the fans around me at Kantina, local Serbian restaurant, cried that we had no luck.  Why can’t I just be like them and blame luck, the referee, or the players?  Why can’t I do that?!  Why does it bother me so much!?

Back to why I am so depressed because of the loss....  My simple answer was because the World Cup is the biggest sporting event in the world and the worst thing is we really had a team that could have gone far.... This answer didn’t seem enough, as the asker (my wife), was convinced that my symptoms....

Lack of concentration at work/home in the 24 hour period preceding a big game, increased resting heart rate since the tournament started, heightened emotional state and an impaired ability to deal rationally (as she puts it)

....weren’t worth watching my country at the world cup.

Is this healthy?

Is it normal to feel this way?

Can this actually be detrimental to my long term health?

Does anyone else get anxiety from watching the world cup?

Are any of you out there depressed your team’s out?

Brian