Posted on 06/26/2010 8:07:11 PM PDT by Chet 99
Friday, June 25, 2010 1:11 AM EDT
As you know, we are all in the grip of World Cup fever.
It's reached such intensity that if you walk into a sports bar anywhere in the United States and mention Landon Donavan's stunning extra-time goal against Algeria that allowed the USA to finish atop group C and advance to this weekend's round of 16, literally several people will actually know what you're talking about.
And only a couple will want to beat you up.
The World Cup is, of course, that quadrennial event when the entire sporting world can join together as one and revel in the joy of pointing out how stupid the Americans are for hating soccer.
But Americans don't hate soccer. We also don't hate haggis, or warm beer, or eating snails or invading Poland or any of the other things that Europeans like to do. We just don't think about them much. (OK, to be perfectly accurate, Glenn Beck DOES hate soccer and the World Cup, accusing the rest of the world trying to "shove it down our throats." Evidently someone told him it is a game played by foreigners.)
But, you may say, America's performance in World Cup play this month has drawn decent ratings for the telecasts and certainly must be inspiring a whole new generation of fans.
To that I say, someone has been blowing a vuvuzela too close to your head. Americans will happily watch our athletes every four years in the Olympics, too. That doesn't mean that women's gymnastics or luge is going to become the Next Big Thing In Sports. (Heck, if they only have to do it every four years, Americans will even get kind of excited about watching curling.)
Soccer has been the official Next Big Thing for about the last 35 years. Professional leagues have risen and fallen, great stars of the game - who may have seen better days -have been imported and now our national team is rising through the top ranks of world competition.
And American soccer still hasn't broken the glass ceiling that, in most polls, puts it just below horseracing and just above lacrosse.
This is despite the fact that every suburban child in America is required - by law - to participate in a soccer league at some point in his or her life. This is how most of us become acquainted with soccer, watching our kids cluster around a ball - at least the ones who aren't standing at random points around the field, contemplating dandelions - their little legs flailing, until one kid does the only logical thing and picks up the ball and RUNS with it.
It makes you think, "Gee, a warm beer would taste great about now."
TOM REILLY is a Sun Chronicle news editor and former soccer dad whose daughters have moved on to more interesting - and expensive - pursuits. He can be reached at 508-236-0332 or at treilly@thesunchronicle.com. Read his blog at thesunchronicle.com/reilly.
BWAHAHAHA!!!!!
Right!
It is a lot like the Olympics and figure skating or gymnastics...once every 4 years some people get into it as an event...then immediately forget about it and go back to College Football, NFL, MLB, NBA, Nascar, Hockey, Rubik’s Cube, napping...etc etc.
Soccer?
Even curling is more exciting to watch
Watching soccer is like trying to play pinball without touching the flippers.
I’m still a US Team booster regardless. Anytime America sticks it to the rest of the world, I’m all for it. Try watching the foreign channels and you’ll see every “one world” crapaganda imaginable.
I wish the haters would stop being so gleeful over a loss by an AMERICAN team.....almost obamalike....
I tried to watch... but I couldn't understand the off sides thing. Maybe if they allowed the goalie to be tackled or something. Or give them bats to hit the ball instead of just using the feets.
That’s WHY Obama likes SOCCER!
It’s not an AMERICAN game!
It’s more European.
Methinks this guy is mentally ill. Americans don't hate soccer. We have a team in the World Cup final 32.
The United States Youth Soccer Association boasts over three million players between the ages of five and 19, while American Youth Soccer Organization has more than 300,000 players between the ages of four and 19. Finally, the USL offers a number of youth leagues, including the Super-20 League and the Super Y-League, which have almost 1,000 teams and tens of thousands of players from the ages of 13 to 20. This makes soccer one of the most played sports by children in the United States.
“As you know, we are all in the grip of World Cup fever.”
We are? Nobody told me until now. Did I miss something like an announcement that I was supposed to care about a “World” event?
Soccer is about as boring as reading about pit bull attacks on FR. TO liven the game up, they should implement land mines. Even the UN agrees..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NRF7dTafPu0
Its fun to play but enough of these rotten officiating and players taking dives. They look like fairies falling all over the grass for no reason.
I was proud of the shot. At the college level the ball moves quickly and timing is a little tricky.
The British invented soccer, tennis, and golf. And American football has roots in rugby and baseball in the British game of rounders. Basketball was really an American game invented here.
I don’t care much for the game except these guys are awfully healthy to run back and forth all day long, but I love them for being Americans and representing our country. We’ll get them next time!
“soccer fever will pass”
The article is obviously more than 5 hours old. It passed.
Totally true. I find soccer mildly boring and tedious, but not excruciatingly boring. So, combined with the spectacle of the World Cup, and how most all other nations take soccer so seriously, I will watch most of the US team's games, and a little England and Brazil, and generally keep up with who's winning, who's advancing, etc., and usually watch most of the championship game.
And then four years later, I do it all again. (And the internet has made so easy to keep up with World Cup and all major sports, however much or little you care to.)
(But, this year, I do find that if I don't tune in for at least a few minutes of some game each day, I began having vuvuzela withdrawal. Guess I'll have to record a game or two so I can enjoy that wonderful sound after WC is over.)
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