World Cup
I'm totally into the World Cup this year. This is my third World Cup series since I married Steve, but this is the first time I'm really engrossed. I think it's because of my thesis and its intimate ties to the birth of football in Preston. I feel a kinship with the English team, and am rooting for them wholeheartedly.
We went to Five Points Theatre to watch the England - US match live. I went thinking I'd be happy regardless who won, but quickly discovered I was pro-England all the way. A big part of that was the behavior of the US fans. And that continues to be my beef as England and the US advance to the next round.
Soccer is not a big deal in the US, which is a shame, really, because it's a great game. But we have our baseball, football (the one played with your hands), and basketball to dominate our sports channels. So soccer is an also ran. That means, most people don't know the game. Which can be a pain in the ass when you go to a big match like England vs USA. Lots of sports fans attended to root for their national team, but they were pretty clueless on what was happening. They'd cheer when England kicked the ball out of bounds (please folks, it happens all the time) and act all offended if one of their players gets knocked down (this, too, happens all the time). But what really got me annoyed was when the England keeper made the stupid mistake heard 'round the world and bobbled what should have been an easy save. That mistake tied the game at 1-1. I expected the fans to cheer. But what I didn't like was the taunting arrogance declaring the awesomeness of the US. A point is a point, but a goal is not a goal. The US scored not because it was an awesome kick, but because the England keeper (perhaps in his own burst of arrogance) made an amateur mistake and failed to properly block the ball. The US scored not because it was awesome, but because the keeper screwed up big time. The fans really need to get a clue.
Prior to today's England vs Slovenia match, I was hit with another bout of American arrogance that turned me off. During the pre-game show on ESPN, an advert came on with Martin Sheen doing a voice over. The US wasn't even playing England today, but the entire ad was an anti-England campaign. Talk about unsportsmanlike behavior! I felt like I was watching a political commercial. Instead of just talking about how well the US team was doing, it had to trash England by comparison. Yes, it concluded with a oh what the heck, good luck anyway conclusion, but that was too little, too late.
The US has played some brilliant ball so far this World Cup. The come-from-behind goals versus Slovenia and the 91-minute goal by Donovan against Algeria to win today are some incredible feats of athleticism. I want to be proud. I want to be as happy to see the US advance as I am to see England. But it's difficult for me to support a team that carries with it such unsportsmanlike behavior in its fans.
We went to Five Points Theatre to watch the England - US match live. I went thinking I'd be happy regardless who won, but quickly discovered I was pro-England all the way. A big part of that was the behavior of the US fans. And that continues to be my beef as England and the US advance to the next round.
Soccer is not a big deal in the US, which is a shame, really, because it's a great game. But we have our baseball, football (the one played with your hands), and basketball to dominate our sports channels. So soccer is an also ran. That means, most people don't know the game. Which can be a pain in the ass when you go to a big match like England vs USA. Lots of sports fans attended to root for their national team, but they were pretty clueless on what was happening. They'd cheer when England kicked the ball out of bounds (please folks, it happens all the time) and act all offended if one of their players gets knocked down (this, too, happens all the time). But what really got me annoyed was when the England keeper made the stupid mistake heard 'round the world and bobbled what should have been an easy save. That mistake tied the game at 1-1. I expected the fans to cheer. But what I didn't like was the taunting arrogance declaring the awesomeness of the US. A point is a point, but a goal is not a goal. The US scored not because it was an awesome kick, but because the England keeper (perhaps in his own burst of arrogance) made an amateur mistake and failed to properly block the ball. The US scored not because it was awesome, but because the keeper screwed up big time. The fans really need to get a clue.
Prior to today's England vs Slovenia match, I was hit with another bout of American arrogance that turned me off. During the pre-game show on ESPN, an advert came on with Martin Sheen doing a voice over. The US wasn't even playing England today, but the entire ad was an anti-England campaign. Talk about unsportsmanlike behavior! I felt like I was watching a political commercial. Instead of just talking about how well the US team was doing, it had to trash England by comparison. Yes, it concluded with a oh what the heck, good luck anyway conclusion, but that was too little, too late.
The US has played some brilliant ball so far this World Cup. The come-from-behind goals versus Slovenia and the 91-minute goal by Donovan against Algeria to win today are some incredible feats of athleticism. I want to be proud. I want to be as happy to see the US advance as I am to see England. But it's difficult for me to support a team that carries with it such unsportsmanlike behavior in its fans.
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