World Cup Editorial

The world cup comes around once every 4 years, just like the Olympics. That is about the American’s attention span for soccer too. To be sure, we will root for our home team patriotically and wish them well. However, our lives do not begin and end with the World Cup. It is a casual interest at best. That is where we differentiate it. However, there are good Americans who have Cup fever, but they are the minority.

In the states, the soccer life begins and ends with childhood. The term soccer mom was invented in the states along with the soccer van. It is a great game, with tremendous skill. However, most parents have their roots in college where they got their undergrad degrees. Those schools had athletic programs built around football, basketball, baseball and in some areas hockey. The campus athletic spectator activities were around those, thus our passion for the core four sports.

As I said, we will root for our home team yet most don’t even know who Landon Donavan is. He is the star of the American team. I don’t pay attention to the sport yet I know that.

Each world cup the media proclaims that this world cup will get America on board with the world’s most popular sport. Well just because 93 billion will be watching and caring, doesn’t mean I have to care. If 93 billion want mullets doesn’t mean I want a mullet.

Soccer, or as it termed, futbol, is a sport that rewards faking injuries. It is my personal belief that they should play through that, show toughness and grit. Maybe then we would watch. Some say it needs more scoring. I don’t believe that. That ball is roughly 1/20th of the size of that net. How there is no scoring is beyond me.

I do not take away the merits of these athletes. They are incredible to me and quite gifted. I don’t know the positions but those that kick the ball towards the net are very skilled. To get a ball to curve like that is amazing. The endurance they have is quite remarkable.

Also, as for American’s perception of this sport, we read headlines of people being killed because of their loyalty to one team. Even with Raider nation, you don’t see that in American sport. Our loyalty begins and ends with a fair competition. For instance, I am a diehard Boston Red Sox fan, so it’s no surprise that I despise the New York Yankees. It doesn’t mean I want to pummel the next Yankee fan that I see. I will debate them about the supremacy of our teams but it stops there. Even if they were to run some smack totally degrading my team, I would just walk away. I would venture most Americans are like that.

We Americans will watch the Cup but our lives do not begin and end with it. Enjoy the World Cup because it only comes every 4 years.