Why are there so many upsets in this year’s World Cup?

First of all, it is people’s curiosity and excitement that are secretly at work.

Looking at the articles related to the "upset" of the World Cup, the real number of views is not the posts of enthusiastic fans supporting the losing team, but the heartbreaking copywriting of gamblers who want to make a fortune but their calculations fail. . "The goalkeeper of Saudi Arabia shattered not only Argentina's fantasy, but also my wallet." "I gave it a try and the bicycle turned into a motorcycle, and now I am pickled mustard with steamed buns." "Although I don't watch the football game, I can tell the shouts from the men's dormitory opposite. "It's a real-time broadcast" and "World Cup, so sad"...

These sad, helpless and exaggerated and humorous words will undoubtedly poke the laughter of the majority of people who do not pay attention to the World Cup. Many people were "laughing all over the floor and missing their teeth" while frantically forwarding the discussion. Their happiness is based on the pain of these posters: Due to the most primitive comparison psychology of human beings, we tend to feel happy and at ease when we see other people's surprises and sorrows - we don't support teams that we don't support. I feel extremely relieved and lucky that I did not participate in gambling.

Secondly, it is people’s inner desire for uncertainty and authenticity that is adding fuel to the fire.

On the one hand, in recent years, everyone can often guess the winning results of various singing and dancing sports competitions based on the strength of the contestants - which greatly reduces the tension of watching the competition. For two teams with a huge difference in strength, the probability of a weak team coming back is very small, especially in such a large event. Because of this, the "upset" of the World Cup brought everyone an unparalleled surprise. This kind of event that greatly exceeds expectations brings psychological pleasure and excitement to people - it is similar to the counterattack story that has always been popular for thousands of years, giving other teams in the World Cup and each of us ordinary people a Strong case support for dreaming of climbing to the top. This kind of realistic projection of "the outcome is unpredictable until the last moment" makes us nervous, excited and happy.

On the other hand, the vote fraud and capital manipulation in some informal competitions in recent years have already made people tired. The VAR technology introduced by Qatar at a huge investment this time will undoubtedly make the evaluation of game results more accurate and fair, catering to people's real demands. However, VAR makes the originally strong team's aggressive and "dazzling" playing style easy to be penalized for offside; frequent use of VAR also interrupts the offensive rhythm of athletes and shortens the effective playing time; the number of substitutions for players increases, which is detrimental to The physical endurance requirements are reduced, and the team's overall room for improvement is increased... These factors have contributed to the strong counterattack of the weak teams seeking stability in the World Cup - the frequent "upsets" in the World Cup this year are well documented. However, these are not important. What is important is that the objective fairness of the World Cup has been improved, and people's pursuit of truth has been satisfied: in terms of objective standards, the reference of technology has almost eliminated the possibility of misjudgment by the judges, although this is at the expense of It comes at the price of intense competition. The "upset" of the World Cup was a huge carnival in which people's demands for authenticity were satisfied.

In the end, people’s psychology of breaking through the limitations of discrimination and stereotyped thinking prevailed.

When Saudi Arabia plays against Argentina, which has the double aura of a championship team and world champion Lionel Messi, everyone naturally uses stereotypes to win over Argentina. But we have forgotten the principle of "Don't chase the enemy when you are poor": how much power can a team with self-respect and stubbornness burst out in desperate situations when the ball possession rate is low, penalty kicks are missed, and are highly despised by others. Not only that, the Asian teams Japan and South Korea faced the European champion teams Germany and Portugal respectively, and actually won the games. This also breaks the racial stereotype: the public generally believes that Asians with an average stature are thinner, and it is naturally difficult for them to compete with taller Europeans in competitive sports. But after all, they clashed and sparkled: the "Light of Asia" born in such a grand and fair competition is not only the epitome of the proud cry of Asians, but also a symbol of weakening stereotypes of body size differences and eliminating stereotypes of people in the entire world. This kind of joyful and exciting sonata that discriminates against and escapes the gaze of secular colored glasses makes us extremely happy.

But when I think about it again, behind the national joy of the "upset" World Cup, do we also need to reflect?

Should we restrain our gloating about other people's sorrows, use a more sympathetic view to comfort the injured in the "upset" of the World Cup, and ask them not to pay too much attention to the results of the game, and not to follow the crowd in betting? Should we keep working hard with a more open mind and believe that our potential for success will one day be discovered by the goddess of luck in the face of unpredictable events? Should we adjust the severity of the competition rules and care more humanely about the consistency and excitement of the game and the smooth performance of the players? Should we further downplay our praise of past glory and tear off racial discrimination labels without hesitation?

The final of the World Cup is just around the corner. Will the final peak showdown bring us a different "upset" surprise? In any case, the "upset" of the World Cup and the carnival of spectators are worthy of our deep thought and exploration.