The America Worth Celebrating

By D.J. Reiter

Every Fourth of July, Americans gather for many of the same traditions. We fire up grills. We watch fireworks. We stand for the national anthem. We spend time with family, friends, and neighbors.

The traditions rarely change.

The country does.

That is what makes this year’s Independence Day feel different.

As America celebrates its 250th birthday, we are also hosting the largest sporting event on Earth. Millions of visitors have traveled here for the FIFA World Cup, filling stadiums from Seattle to Miami, Los Angeles to New York, Kansas City to Philadelphia, Dallas to Boston. For many of them, this tournament will become their first real impression of the United States.

That is both an opportunity and a responsibility.

Because America’s greatest export has never been a product.

It has been an idea.

The idea that people from different places, with different beliefs, backgrounds, and traditions, can come together to build something bigger than themselves.

Sometimes we lose sight of that.

Turn on the television or scroll through social media and it is easy to believe America is defined only by disagreement.

Then you look around.

You see volunteers welcoming visitors in World Cup host cities. Tens of thousands of people signed up simply because they wanted to help strangers enjoy their experience.

You see restaurants staying open late because fans from six continents are still celebrating after the final whistle.

You see airports, transit workers, police officers, hotel employees, and small business owners working long hours, not because anyone will Remember their names, but because they want visitors to leave saying, “America treated us well.”

Those stories rarely become headlines.

They should.

Kansas City may be one of the best examples. Long before the World Cup arrived, Kansas City
had already become one of America’s true soccer cities, with a passionate local fan base and a
community that treats the sport as part of its identity. But during this tournament, it has also
become something else: a discovery.

Fans from other countries have arrived in Kansas City for World Cup matches and found a place
they may never have thought to visit otherwise. Some had barely heard of it before the
tournament. Then they experienced the welcome, the food, the energy, the civic pride, and the
friendliness of people who were thrilled to host them. They came for a soccer match and left
talking about a city they now want to visit again.

That matters.

Because that is one of the quiet gifts of the World Cup. It does not only show visitors our biggest
landmarks. It introduces them to the America between the postcards. The barbecue joints. The
neighborhood bars. The downtown streets filled with fans. The local volunteers giving directions.
The families who stop to help someone find their way.

That is America, too.

So is the teenager coaching a youth soccer team.

The librarian helping a child discover a love of reading.

The teacher buying school supplies out of her own pocket.

The nurse finishing a twelve-hour shift.

The truck driver making sure grocery store shelves stay stocked.

The immigrant opening a family restaurant.

The veteran mentoring the next generation.

None of those people make national news.

Together, they are the country.

Sports remind us of this in a unique way.

Over the past month, Americans have gathered in public parks, breweries, stadiums, and city
squares to watch the U.S. Men’s National Team continue its World Cup journey. Complete
strangers have celebrated together after goals. Children wearing American jerseys have kicked
soccer balls with children wearing Brazil, Mexico, France, Japan, Morocco, England, and
Argentina shirts.

Nobody asked where someone came from before inviting them into the celebration.

That is the version of America the world deserves to see.

It is fitting that Christian Pulisic, one of the faces of American soccer, grew up in Hershey,
Pennsylvania, a town that many people outside the United States had never heard of before his
rise. His story is uniquely American. A kid from a small town, supported by family, coaches, and
community, who developed into one of the world’s best players while never forgetting where he
came from.

Those stories exist in every state.

The Fourth of July has never been about pretending America is perfect.

The people who signed the Declaration of Independence knew their work was unfinished. Every
generation since has inherited the same responsibility: leave the country a little stronger than
you found it.

Sometimes that means serving.

Sometimes it means inventing.

Sometimes it means coaching.

Sometimes it means volunteering.

Sometimes it simply means welcoming someone you’ve never met.

Millions of people from around the world are getting to experience America firsthand.

They eat our food.

They visit our national parks, museums, and historic landmarks.

They ride our subways, cheer inside our stadiums, and celebrate in our streets.

Some are visiting cities they dreamed of seeing their entire lives.

Others will find themselves in places they never expected to love.

Long after they forget the score of a match, they will remember how they were treated.

That is the America worth celebrating.

Not because it is flawless.

Because, every single day, millions of ordinary people choose to make it a little better than it
was the day before.

If that is the impression we leave on the world this Fourth of July, then the fireworks will not be
the brightest thing America has to offer. The people will be.