The World Cup was something that I remember hearing about when I was a kid, but never really got into. In fact, soccer wasn't a big draw where I lived. It was the "sport" that those who can't sport played. Fortunately my man's patient and slowly introduced me to the what's really an entertaining game. Though this year, nail-biting isn't even close to describing it.
This has provided me with some wonderful insight on the sport, the fans, and how others see it.
It's a third world country game. Yeah heard people I respect say this. Can't figure this one out exactly except for maybe the fact that it's often shown in movies and television commercials as being played by young children in foreign countries playing on dirt or in streets with crumbling buildings. Of course let's just ignore that other countries play this like England, Poland, Greece, Spain, and pretty much the rest of the world. Boys, girls, men and women in like every other country out there...just not here. Instead of looking at it as "it's a game for those poor people who have nothing" it should be looked at as "damn, this is a sport everyone, everywhere seems to love regardless of income or geopolitical stability."
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| It really brings people together. |
It's just a lot of running and kicking. Yes, yes it is. But seriously you try running up and down a field between 90-130 yards. In rain, heat, ice, bugs, and vuvuzelas. Kicking a small round ball and making it curve in unnatural and perhaps supernatural ways doesn't come easy to most people. Try it some time, kick that soccer ball and try to make it bend midair and reverse direction. I'll wait.
It's not as hardcore as American football. Yeah, nope. This is just from this year. Seriously I doubt most of use would keep going with a broken nose, running 100 yards, in 75% humidity.
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| Breaking player's nose doesn't stop them. |
The players cry/whine too much on the field. Ok, granted there's a lot of acting in the Cup. Lots. But that's not different from any other sport, they all have their time wasters and black eyes. Most people go to hockey (which I am a fan of so I speak from experience) to see fights. Football--to see the big concussive tackles that may or may not brain damage players. Baseball--nope, can't figure out why people go to see it.
Futbol/soccer is as corrupt as any other sport. If you know nothing about FIFA other than the adorable "we fight match fixing" commercials, well Google them. The next two Cups are in Russia and Qatar. Russia was bad enough, but Qatar? Middle of a dessert, 120 F temperatures, floating Jetson's style air conditioners, and slave labor dying--literally--to build stadiums and housing. Compare this to the doping, murder charges, and embezzling of other sports and other sports seem like rank amateurs.
The fans are just as bad as any sport. Or good depending on your view. New to the sport? Some of them will make your life miserable if you ask what the pitch is. I've witnessed normal ordinary looking men and woman turn into raving lunatics when a goal kick is missed. Or an extra point kick. Or the puck is stopped at the line. Or the mirror-ball trophy goes to the wrong couple. It's all the same. Being a fan means being a fan.
Want more proof:
The standard:
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| Soccer |
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| Hockey |
The cute:
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| Soccer |
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| Football |
In the end a fan is a fan, sports are sports, and a good time is a good time. So give futbol/soccer a chance. Go to a bar and watch with fans. You might like it. At the very least you might find common ground in both agreeing that no one understands why people watch MLB.
Oh and ladies and gentlemen, there's one more draw. These men are seriously gorgeous.
Exhibit A:
Exhibit B:
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