A House Divided

I am proud of the fact that I am an alumnus of Louisiana State University, or LSU, in the United States – and in the South, pride for one’s university is no unique thing. People hang flags outside of their homes. They put various paraphernalia on their cars, such as bumper stickers, decals, and license plates. Many people wear their university colors everywhere, too.

 

Naturally, people who are affiliated with different universities often intermarry, especially in states with at least two major universities. When that happens, no person stops cheering for that old college team just because his or her spouse is cheering for another. So during football season, things can get rather tense in some households, especially at family gatherings with extended family.

 

Many of these multi-university families display pride for their respective universities with vanity license plates on the front of their cars that state “House Divided.” The plate is usually split in two, with a spouse’s university logo on either side.

 

You may wonder which teams the children of these couples cheer for. Perhaps I can provide some insight into that, since the World Cup just finished and I am an American with Korean ethnicity living in Korea.

 

Here in Korea, I am extremely proud of the fact that I am an American, especially around my non-Korean friends. I am a fan of sports in general, especially American football and basketball. Because I am from Louisiana, I am very vocal about my love for LSU football, men’s basketball and baseball, as well as the New Orleans Saints and the New Orleans Pelicans. I have also recently been quite vocal about the U.S. World Cup team. On my Twitter account, I have posted pictures of American icons like Hulk Hogan, George Washington, Rocky Balboa and Abraham Lincoln to display my fandom for American soccer.

 

During the London Olympics two years ago, a student told me that he did not like America because America always wins events. My response was unapologetic and instinctual: “Yeah, we are the best.”

 

If the American soccer team came to Seoul and played Korea in a friendly match, I would sit in the American section of the stadium with my American friends in my red, white and blue, and I would celebrate when we won. At the same time, the victory would be rather bittersweet. Although I am proud to be an American, I do not enjoy seeing Korea lose, even to my home country. 

 

As a passionate sports fan, it is a rather confusing feeling. Sometimes my support wanes periodically throughout a competition. There are moments when I will unequivocally cheer for America. However, on the rare occasions when competition between the U.S. and Korea occurs, I find my support secretly shifting to Korea. Later, my loyalties switch yet again. I have had this experience only a few times, most recently during a women’s volleyball match between the two nations in the 2012 London Olympics, and later during a women’s curling match in the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi.

 

As my American pride in terms of sports and competition is rather extroverted, my pride in the nation of Korea, as a Korean-American, is introverted. Many times, though, my support for Korea is just as strong or stronger. I can’t explain exactly why, but I was extremely proud when Korea scored its first goal in its opening match against Russia in the World Cup. I was getting ready for work and felt a stronger feeling for that goal than I felt for any good thing that America did in the tournament.

 

I was also moved while watching a reality show that follows some Korean celebrities in Brazil as Brazilians cheered for Korea during the World Cup. A female celebrity started to get teary-eyed when the Korean team was introduced before a match and the Korean National Anthem was sung. I was also moved when they showed a Korean man in the stands crying as Algeria scored their third goal early in the match, bringing the score to 3-0. I felt proud when Yoo Jae Seok tried to rally support in the stands.

 

I do not vocalize my support for Korea during competitions because I am not a Korean citizen. However, my support for Korea is every bit as strong as my support for America. This is why, during international competitions, I really do find myself “a house divided.”