Ground Rules for Men

The World Cup is a time when men of the world can gather in an unapologetic communion of chest-beating. When you step outside these days, you may find that there are only two types of men roaming the streets: soccer fans and soccer maniacs.

The soccer maniac adopts the sleep-wake patterns of players in South Africa. If he feels so inclined, he can chain-smoke, gulp down endless amounts of beer and amble out of bed at noon. He shouts, giggles and murmurs to himself, noisily discharging every emotion that forms. The soccer fan is late for work and leaves the office two hours earlier than usual, with some calling in mysterious month-long sick leaves, or others just quitting their jobs, and skipping classes if they are in school. And the fans do this all this without concern for the teacher's outrage, the boss's stare or the neighbor's ears – because everyone is either related to a soccer fan or is a soccer fan.