Forget Ronaldo. Forget Messi. Forget Neymar.
Fans are the engine that drives sports.
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This summer's World Cup will have humans across national, racial political and economic lines tuning into the same matches at the same times. Joy will be felt, hearts will break, tears will be shed -- but we'll all be in this together, gathering remotely around one single event in way that's unparalleled anywhere else in the sporting universe.
ESPN -- the World Cup's American broadcast-rights holder -- drives this point home to tremendous effect in its new World Cup promo spot, embedded above. Beginning and ending in Rio de Janeiro, the spot called "Time Zone" visits fictitious fans in England, Ghana, Spain, Russia, Iran, Japan, Mexico, Chile, and the United States in its 60-second run time.
We didn't need yet another excuse to get pumped up for the World Cup's June 12 start -- but this spot certainly gave us one. And we're just fine with that.