World Cup 2006

I have never been an avid sports fan. I have always enjoyed going to baseball games...my father used to take me to Dodgers games when I was little, and Cubs games when I lived in Chicago. I like to watch baseball, but only in the moment. I don't keep up with it...I don't remember scores...I barely remember players. I don't even bother to read those little trivia questions that pop up because I know I won't know the answer.

I don't like football. I don't mind going to football games. I understand the premise and scoring and all that jazz...but I don't care for it at all. It involves a lot of falling down. Stand in a line, blow the whistle, bam. Everyone falls down. It is the slowest, most boring sport. Can't stand it. Also, I went to highschool in rural Alabama where life = football, and I spent much of my college dorm-life being harassed by football players. And I don't mean catcalls-in-the-hallways harassed...I mean trying-to-come-through-the-wall-in-the-middle-of-the-night-and-urinating-on-the-door-when-they-didn't-make-it-through harassment. That probably didn't help my opinion of the sport.

Basketball. Honestly, any game where you're scoring over 100 points is not a game. Unless it's Jeopardy. That's just ridiculous. Scoring loses all meaning. Stupid basketball.

And then in 1998, I found my sport. Not a sport that I'd play, but a sport that I thought was exciting, and athletic, and elegant. I discovered soccer. Soccer games are non-stop. Constantly running up and down the field, constantly losing possession of the ball, yellow cards, red cards, corner kicks, brilliant saves. I couldn't stop. I was completely addicted. During the World Cup in France, I volunteered to fold laundry the whole month just so I could sequester myself in my parents bedroom with the television. It was AWESOME. Soccer players aren't some giant juiced-up guys, they're not all seven-feet-tall, they're not even famous in this country. (Mainly cause American soccer blows.) They're just athletes. Amazing athletes.

I know when baseball players win the World Series, they get all choked up and cry. I know when those giant dudes win the Superbowl and get that ugly-ass ring they get a little teary. And I know when basketball players win whatever it is they win, they're probably happy too. But when a team wins the World Cup...it's like winning the Olympics. They don't win for themselves, they win for their country. And it is out of control. When France won in '98, I would've given anything to be there. They were so excited and proud and you could see it in the eyes of everyone there. Those guys were national heroes.

I don't know why America doesn't like soccer. Maybe it's not brutal enough. Maybe there isn't enough scoring. Maybe we dont want to support a sport in which we don't excel. I'd argue there is no good reason. Sure, they aren't scoring 100 goals in a game, but man. When you've waited 80 minutes to see someone score and they finally do. It's exciting. It's really exciting. And maybe American soccer sucks, but that's because no one supports it. We have amazing soccer players...but we lose them to other countries. Landon Donovan- gone, Casey Keller- gone, really I shouldn't get started on this. Sure, they'll come back and play on the US World Cup team, but how many Americans are kickin' it over to Germany for that? (I wish I could.)

So, I think that everyone should give soccer a chance. Or a second chance if you've already tried to watch it. The 2006 World Cup starts June 9th. Here's a link to the TV schedule for all the games being aired in the US. Thank GOD I finally got cable. I'll be watching. I think you guys should too. It's fast-paced, it's exciting, and at the end of the match the boys take their shirts off. Really, what's not to love?