EABH has found a new obsession: FIFA card trading. People, spanning all ages, can be spotted around the school opening up their sticker books and swapping collectibles with each other. A generous amount of individuals at the school have already completed their booklets, some people even completing several.
The popularity of FIFA cards started with the growing anticipation of the World Cup which is to take place on November 20. Brazilian culture is very entangled with the sport of soccer as a whole, which explains why FIFA cards have become more popular. But is that the only reason? Parents have been encouraging younger children to become more involved in FIFA trading cards because it lowers screen time. Not only are parents pushing the collectibles but so are big corporations: for example, every time a person orders food from McDonalds, they are given two free packs of FIFA cards. This shows that the prevalence of FIFA cards is due to a multitude of factors, including promotion from companies, Brazilian culture, and parent encouragement.
With the rise of FIFA card trading, there has also been an increase in class disruptions. For a while, they were banned altogether from the school because of disturbances occurring. The school has since lifted this ban and even had a FIFA trading card area where students could trade while being supervised by teachers. Ms. Ruth, the Upper-School vice principal, has stated that “it is important that the cards are traded at an appropriate time and place” but “that FIFA trading cards are a great cultural tradition that can bring people together”, even bringing together the Lower and Upper School students as they trade amongst each other.
Trends seem to circulate around the world, including schools, such as fidget spinners in 2017 and slime in 2018. FIFA cards are different from the other trends, however, because they have taken place every four years since 1970. They have become somewhat of a tradition around the world, with adults remembering when they were young and trading the cards and teaching their children to do the same. This year is no exception as over 50 years later, the tradition continues on.