Posted on 07/22/2026 6:32:53 AM PDT by Kid Shelleen
The country roads of America brought the world across our land, as our role hosting the World Cup fittingly coincided with America 250. The sprawling event on a grand stage reminded the world—and us—about important realities of our nation at its quarter-millennial birthday.
Now, like most Americans, I hugely prefer our football—which starts soon. We are just culturally biased toward a game that is far higher scoring, much more violent, and far more of a spectacle. We opt for the sports version of opera, with heightened, dangerous drama, rather than the grind and nuance of soccer. ---SNIP--- But the World Cup experience made clear that much, if not most, of America’s image problem abroad flows from myths. Smears of the U.S. flow nonstop from legacy media platforms, especially the most powerful ones in the rest of the Western world. Unfortunately, the whole world lags badly behind America in developing alternative new media. Consequently, those legacy outlets in places like England and Brazil still shape public opinion very effectively.
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Thank you very much and God bless you,
Jim
Yep.
Yup.
Soccer is a sport for children not adults.
Interesting. I guess I’m like Nick Mangold.
Catchy tune!
Never forget: We’re all a bunch of inbred, toothless, drunken, heavily armed hillbillies who’ll k!ll you as soon as look at you. Don’t cross the border unless you can handle that.
And “no”, they’ll never make a zombie out of me.
Well, maybe I’m a bit different from either group. Being a senior citizen on S.S., I don’t go anywhere much which works out OK as I have little or no interest in football or soccer. I guess I could watch it on TV if I liked, but I don’t. I do have a weekly outing that means attendance at my local Church whenever possible, which is most every Sunday. I figure I get some benefit from that as compared to no benefit from watching football or soccer. Will there be any athletic sports in Heaven? I really can’t say; could go either way, I guess.
What it showed me is what I’ve been saying for 35 years since I first moved to Europe and lived in 4 countries on that continent. Their media is hopelessly biased and corrupt - even to the point of making the legacy media in the US look reasonable by way of comparison. They are especially bad about their coverage of the US. They will peddle outright lies and more commonly, lies by omission. For example if something works differently in the US than in Europe and that carries both advantages and disadvantages, they will gleefully tell their audience all about the disadvantages. The advantages are never even mentioned....as if they simply do not exist.
But they do.
And anybody who has actually lived in the states or even travelled much outside of the usual tourist hotspots (NYC, Disneyworld, San Francisco, LA....maybe miami or DC) can see it instantly. Even back in the early 90s, it took me less than a day of looking around to realize Americans are richer on average....and I was in Germany and Austria which are two of the richer countries on the continent. You don’t need an economist to tell that to you. You can see it. The gap has only grown wider since then.
I would guess that most sports adults play (professionally anyway), they started off playing as children.
The Germans are proud of John Deutschendorf....just like they are of David Hasselhoff.
Gosh, I can’t imagine why.
The irony is that John Denver, an Air Force brat raised near different air bases in the West and South, must have failed geography in school. The Blue Ridge Mountains are not in West Virginia, but in the western part of Virginia. It would be like writing a song about Colorado and placing Yellowstone or the Grand Tetons in the lyrics.
There’s a little section of the BR that goes through the eastern panhandle. Worth seeing!
I rather enjoy watching goalies diving to the exact opposite side of the goal from where the ball is going. Also, it’s so invigorating for the team on offense to kick the ball all the the way back to their own goal.😎
I THINK THE FASCINATION WITH RANCH DRESSING IS THE MOST FUN.
Yes. The VA/WV line more or less follows the “summit” of the Blue Ridge. Eons ago, I looked at property on the WV side up on the mountain; ended up not buying “for reasons”.
I watched Aussie Rules Football when we were visiting Oz. I thought it was crazy but VERY entertaining.
The ranch dressing reaction was great, I agree.
I also enjoyed that they loved our air conditioning and how big our stadiums are, AND that we have so many stadiums to choose from.
I think the Europeans that return to their countries will be better ambassadors for the USA than the ones who have paid positions.
Harper's Ferry is on the Potomac at the extreme eastern part of WV. The bridge over the Potomac River there is part of the Appalachian Trail (the only part of the Appalachian Trail I have walked).
Good point.
Don’t think football will ever be popular in other countries, though. Europeans who want to see a bit of rough stuff already have rugby.
Yes I know, grew up and now live there!
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