Soccer, it turns out, is the perfect sport to watch while you're doing other things. Maybe it's that constant soothing sound, a never-ending din of cheering and singing in strange languages. Maybe it's that you only have to glance at the TV every so often. Whenever something seems like it might happen, the play-by-play guy warns you with the rise in his energy level. There's always time to catch a play before it unfolds … even though it usually ends with some exhausted striker rocketing the ball 25 feet over the crossbar. Maybe it's that you know what you're getting every time out: six or seven exciting plays, a game that ends at a specific time, no annoying sideline reporters or goofy camera angles. All in all, a peaceful two hours of competition.Read the whole thing. Maybe there will be a GoogleVideo of all the best plays and goals of the tournament soon. Wouldn't that be cool - the World Cup in half an hour!
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2. These games feel like life or death. No, really. When the Colombian defender was murdered after 1994's World Cup, the stakes were set: Screw up and you may die. You can see it on everyone's face. After Argentina's OT goal, the shell-shocked coach of Mexico looked as if he'd gotten a terminal diagnosis from his doctor. I half expected him to start hastily scribbling a will. For most of the countries involved, soccer is the equivalent of baseball + football + basketball here, if those sports came around only one month every four years. You can feel the tension. It's suffocating. The winners are relieved, the losers decimated. There's no in-between.
Wednesday, July 05, 2006
Why I Love the World Cup...
...though I didn't see even a minute of this year's tournament. Bill Simmons (aka The Sports Guy) nails it in his article. Excerpt:
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i know this has nothing to do with your post but check out this very disturbing link:
ReplyDeletehttp://nkusa.org/activities/Statements/2006Jan27Hamas.cfm
Worth commenting on.
Wow, that's sick. But then again, we already knew that the NK was made up of despicable ideas.
ReplyDeleteyou better hope Jameel doesn't read this post.
ReplyDeleteWhatever do you mean? This was written in his honor!
ReplyDeleteEz, I kind of said the same stuff in a Newsday editorial a week ago. Check it out here:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.newsday.com/news/opinion/ny-opnov234792433jun23,0,2456990.story?coll=ny-viewpoints-headlines
As excited as the rest of the world gets about soccer, I just don't get it. Yes, the players are extremely fit and athletic, what they can do with a soccer ball is amazing. The stakes are very high in these games. But at the end of the day, it's just the ball going back and forth the whole time. I watched the Germany-Italy game, and the two goals at the end of overtime were exciting. Other than that ,there was one thrilling play I remember from the ENTIRE GAME, when Italy's goalie made a nice save on a German shot. That's it.
ReplyDeleteJake - thanks. I really enjoyed that piece.
ReplyDeleteJewboy - Well, that's kind of the point of Simmons' article - read it! :)