Soccer and existentialism

Sweden has failed to qualify for the 2014 soccer World Cup. When asked if he would be watching the tournament on TV, Swedish superstar Zlatan Ibrahimović replied with a clear ‘No’. Such a response is not unusual. Sportsmen and –women often do not want to watch a competition they have been forced to miss through injury or suspension. What’s unusual here is the reason Ibrahimović gave: a tournament ‘without Zlatan’ (weirdly talking about himself in the 3rd person- never a good sign- Serena Williams does this too) is not worth watching. He apparently cannot conceive of a world without him. Psychologically, this is quite a common reaction to a basic existential dilemma but usually as expressed by a very young child. Can you imagine a world without you? Would it be so different?