f the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, for example, one respondent told her it was their first time ever to sit next to somebody of a different skin colour or ethnicity. The participant, who was black, also recounted feeling comfortable for the first time about speaking to a white South African in a bar, she says. "Football generates a very unique sense of togetherness, and a unique level of excitement is brought about by such a platform [as hosting the World Cup]. The World Cup was a vehicle for this [encounter], it allowed people to see beyond themselves."
