Real Football
I thoroughly enjoyed the World Cup this time around, especially since the airtimes were better than 2002's, when I could barely roll out of bed at 4 A.M. to catch a game. This time, I watched as many as I could, and at the end of a day's worth of watching, I still had time to run errands, go to the beach, and contemplate writing on my blog.
Football (by football, I mean soccer, since more feet touch the ball than anything else) was my favorite sport growing up, all the way until I played my last organized game in high school.
Watching these nations' teams compete got intense. I found myself rooting for the underdogs, cheering on Ghana and Australia and anyone that played Brazil. The myriad of fans from all nations watching each game goes to show that this is more than a sport to them. Countries' with old rivalries come out in support (see Poland versus Germany). The tournament also has such an impact that countries aren't functioning the same. Mexico's presidential campaigns, where the election came right after the World Cup, were slowed to an almost halt, as the nation watched Mexico move into the Round of 16 and pressure to get into the quarters. Côte d'Ivoire's civil war was put on hold, a cease fire in place, as their citizens watched their team play in a tough group, taking on the likes of Argentina and the Dutch. Unfortunately, the team couldn't move out of group play, which I guess means it's Game On back in the Ivory Coast. But my point is football created peace, if only for a little while.
I curse all the Americans who curse the sport for the lack of usage of hands. It can't be anymore silly than armored warriors knocking each other up and down a field of lines and dashes or grown men bouncing an orange ball on polished wood paneling. But there is so much skill that people don't see in the world's game. Even if it's not a disc of vulcanized rubber coming at you at 90 miles per hour, let's see you stop a ball sailing at your head or chest and drop it to your feet. Let's see you put a bend on a ball, letting it sail to the top corner of a goal. Let's see you run, walk, sprint, and jog for an almost uninterrupted 90 minutes, then, if there's overtime, continue on for another half hour. That's right—no commercial breaks, no time-outs.
Each goal is a celebration. Sure the scoring isn't as high as basketball, but anytime there is a goal in football, it's a monumental achievement, unlike the cheers for a slam dunk which is equal to a jump shot from the key. Each goal I figure is worth a touchdown and a field goal, and imagine if you get two in one game (that happened only a couple of times this World Cup).
It's not perfect, mind you (see the results of this year's tournament). If there were two things I could change in the world's sport, it'd be the diving that occurs out there as players exagerrate as they are tripped and fouled. The other is that there is too much power given to referees who can change the outcome of a game with one blow of the whistle (see Australia versus Italy). But it has a lot more to offer than other sports. There's a cultural presence when it comes to the World Cup, backed by nations' pride. If only the U.S. could start taking it more seriously, maybe when we go out and lose to other countries, they'll forgive us just a bit for the "President" we have.
Football (by football, I mean soccer, since more feet touch the ball than anything else) was my favorite sport growing up, all the way until I played my last organized game in high school.
Watching these nations' teams compete got intense. I found myself rooting for the underdogs, cheering on Ghana and Australia and anyone that played Brazil. The myriad of fans from all nations watching each game goes to show that this is more than a sport to them. Countries' with old rivalries come out in support (see Poland versus Germany). The tournament also has such an impact that countries aren't functioning the same. Mexico's presidential campaigns, where the election came right after the World Cup, were slowed to an almost halt, as the nation watched Mexico move into the Round of 16 and pressure to get into the quarters. Côte d'Ivoire's civil war was put on hold, a cease fire in place, as their citizens watched their team play in a tough group, taking on the likes of Argentina and the Dutch. Unfortunately, the team couldn't move out of group play, which I guess means it's Game On back in the Ivory Coast. But my point is football created peace, if only for a little while.
I curse all the Americans who curse the sport for the lack of usage of hands. It can't be anymore silly than armored warriors knocking each other up and down a field of lines and dashes or grown men bouncing an orange ball on polished wood paneling. But there is so much skill that people don't see in the world's game. Even if it's not a disc of vulcanized rubber coming at you at 90 miles per hour, let's see you stop a ball sailing at your head or chest and drop it to your feet. Let's see you put a bend on a ball, letting it sail to the top corner of a goal. Let's see you run, walk, sprint, and jog for an almost uninterrupted 90 minutes, then, if there's overtime, continue on for another half hour. That's right—no commercial breaks, no time-outs.
Each goal is a celebration. Sure the scoring isn't as high as basketball, but anytime there is a goal in football, it's a monumental achievement, unlike the cheers for a slam dunk which is equal to a jump shot from the key. Each goal I figure is worth a touchdown and a field goal, and imagine if you get two in one game (that happened only a couple of times this World Cup).
It's not perfect, mind you (see the results of this year's tournament). If there were two things I could change in the world's sport, it'd be the diving that occurs out there as players exagerrate as they are tripped and fouled. The other is that there is too much power given to referees who can change the outcome of a game with one blow of the whistle (see Australia versus Italy). But it has a lot more to offer than other sports. There's a cultural presence when it comes to the World Cup, backed by nations' pride. If only the U.S. could start taking it more seriously, maybe when we go out and lose to other countries, they'll forgive us just a bit for the "President" we have.
posted by matty at 10:45 AM
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