The beautiful game. O jogo bonito. Pelé claims he was the first to coin the term. British commentator Stuart Hall disagrees. Mostly, who cares? Football does something that no other sport does. It’s the great equalizer. Everyone everywhere watches it. (Yes, even Americans.) And not a day goes by here in Brazil, where the universal nature of futebol can’t be seen. Manic Algerians aggressively chanting on the streets of Belo Horizonte. American flags hanging from balconies in Recife. Nigerians waving Brazilian flags. Germans waving Brazilian flags. Ecuadorians waving Brazilian flags. An entire stadium in Salvador singing “Allez allez allez” after France scored goals four and five against Switzerland. The tricolor flag of Mexico hanging from a random guy's neck in a São Paulo subway. And then there are the Brazilians. Every time Brazil plays the country has a national holiday. 200 million people simultaneously willing Neymar to score another goal. Even I have to remind myself that I’m there to take pictures. Not to scream at the television. At the end of the day, sports always win.