Every four years, families huddle around their TVs for the most-watched sporting event on Earth. The World Cup, a harbinger of broken hearts and joyful nations, is to many around the globe more than just a game. It brings people together: Strangers become friends, if only for 90 minutes, and it gives hope to those who might otherwise have none — even if that hope is reliant on 11 strangers with whom they have nothing in common but a passport.

But to those living in towns torn apart to build stadiums, to those who make millions on untaxed revenue and those who work tirelessly to make hundreds of uniforms and millions of footballs, the World Cup can also signify disenfranchisement and exploitation.

Football is a beautiful game. When Costa Rica played Greece and my family sat motionless to watch, hearts driven to a halt, knuckles etched with teeth-marks, we all felt something we probably don’t feel every day: a positive sense of nationalism, of unity and passion. These feelings move countries forward and remind us that despite our differences, we’re all the same. But football won’t have us holding hands singing “Kumbaya” for the next four years.

At The Gazelle we try to look at everything through different lenses, and this is why we wanted to publish an issue on the World Cup and the way in which it encompasses both a global movement and human passion. With some of us absorbed in every minute of every game and others taking notice only via overly enthusiastic Facebook friends, we decided to gather and look at this event for what it is. We look at the beautiful game for the camaraderie and fraternity that it makes possible. But we must also look at the ruthlessness and hypocrisy that surrounds it. For every “Say No To Racism” campaign there is the blatant disregard for the inhumane conditions FIFA allows in host countries. For all the families that come together to watch this game, others are kicked out of their homes to make room for expensive construction projects. Let’s use this opportunity to keep in mind that not every issue is black and white, that something great can leave a bitter aftertaste, and that one man's victory is another's suffering.

I love the World Cup and I hate it, and maybe that’s what makes it so unique. Maybe that’s why football is much more than just a game.