The World Cup: the one time every four years that all across the world people gather in pride of their own country to celebrate the most popular sport in existence – soccer.

In the summer of 2018, beginning on the 14th of June, 32 of the best teams in the world take their places in Russia to face off and determine which team will claim themselves victors of the globally competitive tournament.

Millions of viewers will be disappointed to see, for the first time in 32 years, the United States Men’s National Soccer Team (USMNT) will not be making their appearance, due to a 1-2 loss to Trinidad & Tobago.

Aside from the disappointment that will be felt by all those who temporarily set aside their loyalty for football to gather and take pleasure in fútbol, this could also have devastating effects on the commercial World Cup in the U.S., and on the Fifa World Cup as a whole.

According to FIFA, 196,838 tickets to the 2014 Brazil World Cup were bought by U.S. citizens, second only to the amount bought by those in Brazil.

The total cost for this tournament was $2 billion, and about half of this went into the Brazilian economy for local services preparing the World Cup.

Assuming this pattern is followed, ticket sales could greatly decrease, resulting in the plummet of profits for FIFA, and a greatly decreased amount of benefits for the Russian economy, the host of the next World Cup.

With this, according to Sports Illustrated, Fox Sports spent upwards of $400 million on World Cup broadcasting, and because of the absence of the U.S., Fox viewers and earnings could crucially reduce, having a major negative effect on the franchise. What does this mean for you as a viewer?

Quite frankly it shouldn’t mean anything. Of course disappointment should be felt, but this is shouldn’t drive a person away from the World Cup. The fact that such repercussions could result from the U.S. not being in the World Cup is not a sign of pride in one’s country. It’s a sign of ignorance, greed, and self-centeredness.

The World Cup is a time of community and unity, not just in America, but throughout the world. To let the failure of one country damage the full extent of the tournament is an unfair act, and a perfect example of the hubris spreading throughout our country.

It’s not just about America. It’s about the world. It’s about the community. It’s about soccer, so don’t let it just be about us.