Years ago I took time on my blog to do more than string a few sentences together and mention what happened. I added some pizzazz and comedy and maybe even a picture or two. What led to the “I’m doing this just to chronicle an event” attitude I’ve taken the past few years? I’d attribute it to many things: I have 3 kids, my job takes more time, I get sick of working on the computer, etc. So let’s try and get a few more of my posts back like the old days. I was recently inspired as I was reading some of Bill Simmons’ articles on ESPN. I love that guy. He has the dream job. He writes about sports – all sports. Not just baseball or basketball, but sports in general. His article on why the World Cup was fantastic was spot on. And he’s funny. And clever. I want his job. I want to write fun, clever prose about things l love, which includes sports. But other topics, too, like when my son runs full speed from the bathroom with his underwear around his ankles screaming “scarey!”. These are events that bring life into focus. They are the moments that make us laugh and cry and get mad. So that is what I am going to try and do. Be more creative in my posts – but at the same time chronicle events. Maybe it will be practice for that elusive job out there which basically consists of watching and attending many different sports events, playing basketball, traveling the globe, and making people laugh. So here is my first post on a subject from this summer.
World Cup 2010
I have posted about the World Cup already. Every time there is a World Cup there is so much discussion on “will soccer take off in the US?” and “why aren’t Americans as obsessed with this sport as the rest of the globe (most of it)?” I think the basic answer to those questions is that it is difficult to compete with the other big sports in America. We already have hours of sports to watch and adding another in there just won’t fit. But Americans do like soccer. I think this World Cup proved that. And the reason they love soccer and the World Cup is that this thing only happens every 4 years and it is one of the only sports that we, as Americans, are underdogs. People love to root for underdogs. So even people who don’t know the rules of soccer are watching some of the games. No other moment in sports in 2010 will be more remembered (so far) more than Landon Donovan’s goal to take the USA to the second round. It was cheered by all, soccer fans or not. It was showed a million times on ESPN. You couldn’t be American and not get chills watching it on Youtube. And when they lost the next round to a team they should have beaten, there was legitimate disappointment – or even rage. I know I was ticked off. I instantly became the coach of the team and knew exactly why we lost. Blame it on Altidore and a coach that can’t get his team excited the first half – because I know how to win World Cup games. It is like the NCAA March Madness: it is a great tournament where anything can happen. People are drawn to that (can you hear me BCS? This is why college football is so aggravating!). And for a couple of weeks every four years it brings fun, joy and pain. After the loss of the USA and Brazil I was seriously depressed. I boycotted watching the next round (I may have broken that commitment). So even though soccer isn’t huge in the USA, the USA is catching on to the beauty of the World Cup. The USA bought more tickets to this world cup than any other country besides South Africa (host nation). I am already making plans to attend the next World Cup in Brazil – with two other people already committing to the trip (not including my wife, who I hope does accompany me).
Another reason I love soccer and the World Cup? It is fast. A game will finish in less than 2 hours. What other sport can claim that? And if I’m watching on TV I don’t even have to watch commercials! I don’t have time to watch other sports. It is a 3 to 4 hour commitment to watch any other sport – more if you actually go the game at the stadium and deal with parking. And to watch other sports on TV I am bombarded by sleazy, sometimes funny, rarely brilliant ads every five minutes. But once every four years I can slip out for an extended lunch from work and get most of a soccer match. I can enjoy seeing heartbreak and honor and joy. As I made my nearly daily pilgrimage to Fox Sports Grill each day I admit that the guys that went with me were not American-born. Most days I was with a Colombian, a Turk, a Spaniard, and a Parisian. But the bar was full. When Mexico played the place was full of Mexicans (don’t tell Sheriff Joe) cheering their mother country. But when the US played I was invited to parties, lunches, etc. I would get the FIFA flu and stay home in the morning watching the game on the Spanish channel (thank you Spanish channels! Dang you greedy American cable companies for not allowing most of the games to be broadcast on broadcast TV! Who watches the Today Show anyway?) with my brother who coincidentally suffered the same ailment. And millions of Americans did the same thing.
One might say it is like the Olympics. I agree. The time between each cup leads to a buildup of suspense and it is country against country. And Americans are catching on to the idea – because many of us are immigrants – that it is okay to cheer for other countries. I remember living in Brazil when the World Cup was about to start. I was asked who my favorite teams were. I said the USA, of course. “But who else?” the insisted. They proceeded to list various countries: Spain, Germany, Mexico, England, etc. They loved their team (Brazil) but also cheered for other countries. It was okay to do. Once again it reminded me of March Madness where I could fall in love with a small college I’d never heard of. Or learn to love a school that knocked out the Utes (don’t get me started on the PAC10 thing – that’s a whole post in itself). The Olympics, of course, do something similar. We love to see small countries win – and love to hate bully countries who cheat by using 12 year-old girls to win gold medals. I know the World Cup isn’t as big as the Olympics in the USA yet, but I think it is getting there. I know it is when I get a text from my boss who has never watched a game in his life with one word: GOOOOOOAAAAAAALLLLL.
In the end, though my two favorite teams did not meet expectations, I enjoyed the World Cup 2010. I enjoyed the vuvuzelas. I am glad Spain won (if one of my teams couldn’t). I enjoyed an event that bonded me to many people at my work and at home with something to talk about, complain about, argue about and an excuse to spend time together.
2 comments:
Watching the world cup was definitely an exciting event. I know we had fun watching... even if it was usually at 7-8 in the morning. Sports is one of my favorite things as well. I love every aspect of the game and mostly like you said, how it brings us closer together. There is nothing like the spirit of playing or watching a game that you care about. And I say going to the world cup would be AWESOME!
Great subject for comments, and it leaves open a space for genealogy. Tom mentioned he wanted to know more about my family.
Some of you younger kids or inlaws may not think of me as athletic. Actually, my father raised us to be very athletic, both by being active particpants in sports, and watching them.
You couldn't live in Cleveland when I was growing up, and not be a Cleveland Browns fan, or even an Indian fan. We went to many games, and I loved them. I knew every players names, and even went to their training camps and to the airport to see them come in, and got their autographs.
My dad was an excellent baseball player. I really mean excellent. He played on a local team, and actually had scouts come to watch him. I was told by him, my mom, and grandpa, that he could have been a player in the major leagues. When we went on our weekly picnics, when he got up to bat, everyone would back up, and he would always hit it over the outfielders and onto the road.
His mother played basketball and softball, and was on several teams. She was tall and thin and very athletic. His aunt, Christine Pylick, (google her name), was a runner, and won many medals in all kinds of country and state wide competitions.
I myself loved to play baseball, and played several years of softball on a team. For years, you could find me most days after school playing catch or 500 in the schoolyard with other girls and mostly guys. I was even on an IBM team for a couple of years while dad played volleyball and softball.
The funny thing about me watching sports today is that I absolutely enjoy it, but I do not get emotionally involved.
I just like to see people play to see them hit, run, make a good catch, etc.
Like last night, as we watched the Yankees, hoping, along with everyone else, that Arod would hit his 600th home run, dad had to stop watching because we were losing.
I just liked the miracle of getting to sit on a comfortable couch in my living room and having the time to sit and watch some guys play a fun game of baseball.
I would also have to mention the thrill and fun of watching your own kids play a sport. Again, for me, it did not matter who won, but I could feel the excitement as one of my kids went up to bat, or when Jake would put on his top running speed and race down the soccer field, or when Kathy would nail a good spike or a good serve. I knew how exhilarating they felt at the time, and I felt it with them.
Bret told us once that he could tell the missionaries that played sports.
Yeah, I love sports, even though most of you would probably not even notice that I do.
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