When I wrote a recent post entitled 8 Rules of World Cup ‘Fight Club,’
I encouraged soccer fans to rise up, begin talking the World Cup up to non-believers and to stand firm against the sports fans who laugh and joke at the sport we love.

My “call to arms” was met with a mixed response. Some readers felt that it wasn’t worth spending time on people who will never ‘get’ the game. Others felt the article struck a nerve and they agreed with the points I raised.

Now, however, I have a message to all soccer fans no matter what side of the fence you fall under. It’s time for you to get the word out about the World Cup. Yes, it’s time for a grass roots campaign to make sure everyone in your circle knows about the upcoming tournament whether they’re interested in the sport or not.

When I was in the drive-thru line the other day at my local Starbucks, she commented that she loved the soccer shirts I wore and we struck up a conversation about where you can buy them. I followed up and asked her about the World Cup. She had no idea what the World Cup was and she had no idea it was going to begin in less than two weeks. I gulped, realized how silly I felt after I remembered the article I wrote from a couple of years ago with my prediction that soccer would be a mainstream sport in the States beginning this summer and then thought long and hard about what she said. The reality is that not everyone is a sports fan. Not everyone watches ESPN. Not everyone is as mad about soccer as we are. BUT, everyone should at least know that the World Cup exists and when it’s on. Whether to choose to watch it or not is not important. But it is crucial that everyone you come in contact with know that it exists and it’s on.

Now I’m not convinced that my local barista is going to become a massive soccer fan overnight. But I am confident that if she gave the tournament half a chance, she would end up being interested in something from the tournament. Maybe it’ll be the beautiful stories from South Africa, or the incredible athleticism of the players. Whatever it may be I won’t know, but what I do know is that I’m going to make it my goal to ensure that there is no excuse for her not knowing that the World Cup is on.

When you think about the number of people you come into contact with, or the number who walk past your desk at work, drive past you on the road or you meet at random during a normal day, how many of them know that the World Cup is on TV this summer?

That’s why I’ve decided to release a poster to help you get the word out about the World Cup this summer. I encourage you to post it in your office, on your bulletin board at school, in your car window or somewhere publicly where you can be sure that people will see it.

There are two versions for you to choose from. Both of them are meant to be a talking point and to make people intrigued enough to find out what the big deal is. By watching this one game, I’m convinced that they’ll be hooked. The two poster choices are:

    “Beat England” poster (color),

    “Beat England” poster (black and white),

    “Beat USA” poster (color),

    “Beat USA” poster (black and white).

With so many of our readers supporting either the United States or England, it’s only fair to make both posters available. Pick which side you’ll support on June 12th and then download the poster today. Print it out. Make copies of it. E-mail it to your friends or colleagues and make a statement. The time to act is now. With less than 10 days to go before the tournament kicks off, it’s (y)our duty to make sure that your circle of friends and strangers know how massive the game will be and that the World Cup is just days away. Don’t delay.

It’s time for you to decide which side you’re on. Whether you want England to beat the USA. Or if you want the USA to beat England. Choose now and share your comments in the section below.

A gigantic thank-you to EPL Talk reader Stephen Feehily who donated his time to create both of these beautifully designed posters. You can follow Stephen on Twitter.

In addition to the posters, Stephen has also created desktop wallpapers using the same above posters. Feel free to download the one for your resolution and then add it to your laptop or desktop to show your true colors:

  • “Beat England” wallpaper (800 resolution),
  • “Beat England” wallpaper (1024 resolution),
  • “Beat England” wallpaper (1280 resolution),
  • “Beat England” wallpaper (1680 resolution),
  • “Beat USA” wallpaper (800 resolution),
  • “Beat USA” wallpaper (1024 resolution),
  • “Beat USA” wallpaper (1280 resolution),
  • “Beat USA” wallpaper (1680 resolution).