But what really makes soccer great is its fans. Around the world, soccer fans display more jubilation and anguish per capita than any sports fan here in the U.S. A lot has to do with the volume of professional sports here versus elsewhere. Argentina has some basketball, but mostly soccer. Brazil - soccer, Germany - Soccer, England, - i guess cricket but mostly soccer, Saudi Arabia - soccer, Nigeria - soccer, Egypt - soccer, Koreas - soccer, Australia - soccer and its counterpart rugby. All over the world the professional sports choices are sparse. So soccer is it, either you team wins or loses. There isn't an instance internationally quite like what I have here in America. Oh the Cowboys did make the playoffs? That sucks, but alright my Mavericks are champs and my Rangers are AL champs! This is a little too shallow for the reasoning (also the lack of other diversions or disposable income in many countries make soccer appealable) but it's easy to understand why soccer is so popular and why its fans can be so passionate.
To be passionate is one thing, to assault other fans is another. In case you missed it, 79 people died in a soccer riot in Egypt. 79! I understand the political tensions there in Egypt, but the arena, stadium, or ballpark is not the place to act on your tensions. As stated above, soccer remains one of the only diversions available to Egyptians (and many other parts of the world) whom are experiencing political turmoil, economic collapse, and a general reduction in the quality for their lives. Soccer and sports in general represents a way to escape. Even in my comparably cushy lives, sports offers me that same comfort. When fans cross the line it brings sports back from the realm of escape and puts us squarely back into real life. While fans may complain that leagues themselves are ruining their sports - the NFL cracking down on tough hits, MLBs interleague schedule, the NBAs referee scandal, its really the fans who ruin it for everyone when they cross the line and turn entertainment into violence and crime.
This isnt the first example of fans ruining sports, nor will it be the last. Several recent examples: Dodgers fans nearly beating a Giants fan to death on opening day 2011; 2011 Vancouver riots following game 7 of the Stanley; Lakers fans riot in LA following 2010 NBA Finals, 2005 an Italian league game had to be halted because fans were shooting flares onto the field and hit one of the goalkeepers. 2004 Red Sox riot after their first world series win in 86 years and a college student was killed; Ghana soccer riots in 2001 where 120 people were killed in a stampede. Nothing in sports legitimizes these actions and they are simply disgusting.
Even petty fan actions are disgusting. We recall the incident where an Alabama fan poisoned the oak trees at the famous Auburn gathering spot called Toomer's corner last year. Well this year Alabama fans stepped it up a notch and following their BCS Championship win an Alabama fan was caught on camera (moron) teabagging a passed out LSU fan at a restaurant. In case you didnt know, teabagging is where you take your balls and placed them on another person usually on their face. The idea of it is funny and if we saw it in a movie or heard about it through a stand up routine we'd laugh, but the execution of it is embarrassing and disgusting. Just because he happens to attend the university or cheers for their athletic programs does not mean he deserves another man's balls on his face. Rightly so, the perp is going to become a sex offender and found guilty of sexual assault. As I said nothing that happens in sports validates this behavior.
So fans, get into hearty debate, light hearted smack talk, even participate in embarrassing wagers with other fans. But do not cross the line. It takes away from the pelasure of sports and thats really all we have as fans.
In other news we have a champion in the NFL: the New York Giants. I couldn't be more displeased seeing bitchface Eli Manning holding the Lombardi and MVP trophies AGAIN. Again the MVP is as undeserved as in 2007. Eli Manning may have completed his first 9 passes, but they were a combination of West Coast passing and bailouts by his hypertalented wide receivers. In fact, only the pass to Manningham on the sideline in double coverage qualified as an elite throw. He skipped about 5 balls in the ground 10 yards away from his receivers. He routinely threw high, and his touchdown pass to Victor Cruz was a terrible decision but bailed out because Jerod Mayo didnt get around in time. The defense was schemed perfectly, Eli made the bad decision, just poor execution by Mayo. Congrats Eli you continue to perpetuate the fraud. For the record Hakeem Nicks or JPP was my MVP in that game.
I think the better team won. The Giants have just been the more complete team these playoffs and while I'm sure fans of the Packers, Ravens, Saints, Texans, and 49ers would like a first or second crack at them in this playoff tournament the Giants really were the most complete team. New England got exposed on defense in second half when the Giants realized that Hakeem Nicks was being single covered every down in favor of a double team on Cruz. Also Im sure the 2:1 possession ratio hurt the Pats defense in the second half.
Sure the case could be made that but for a couple plays the Patriots are champions. Well thats what NFL is about. The argument couldve been made in just about every major playoff game: Ravens - Pats; 49ers-Giants; 49ers-Saints; Ravens-Texans. The better team is slightly lucky but also they generally just execute more often and thats what the Giants did. So any arguments that the Giants are lucky are unfounded. The Patriots just executed more poorly. And that was clear from the start. They had exactly two good drives. Their first play resulted in a retarded safety. Tom Brady made the same dumb deep throw two games in a row and this time it burned them. The Patriots defense couldnt get off the field in the first half for large stretches and the Patriots offense couldnt stay on the field for most of the game.
The commercials were largely disappointing, especially the Clint Eastwood being as inspirational as possible for a failed automobile company ad. I did enjoy the Coke bears though, especially the one where the bear gets up quietly off the couch goes for a long walk and then roars in disappointment. Ive made that walk twice in 15 months with my Rangers, so i definitely enjoyed that one.
Madonna, like every halftime show is doomed. You simply cant put together a really entertaining product in 15 minutes. I did appreciate the cool projected graphics on the sheets held up around the stage. I thought it looked more professional than having a bunch of United Way kids in ugly polos holding up lights or something like they always have. Like a Prayer was good, but why was Cee-Lo Green in a bedazzled robe that made him look like a "sparkly" emperor from Star Wars.
The Gatorade bath was PURPLE! Purple wasn't even a choice but it was very close to blue which was 10/1. That was disappointing.
Well now that football has moved on til August (or April's NFL draft if you are sports wonk like me) We have a few more months of shitty basketball to deal with and we get the pitchers and catchers reporting in a few short weeks! So decompress and enjoy watching my boys Tiger and Tony Romo playing together in this weekend's Pro-Am at Pebble!
I, too, wish that soccer were more appreciated in our country. But hey, I played the sport for years as a kid, so that helps a great deal to keep me engaged. And even with that, I still really only seek out World Cup games to watch.
ReplyDeleteBetween college and professional football, basketball and baseball (and MMA gaining popularity with many), people don't really have enough time to fit in another sport to follow, although I'm trying to pick up hockey a bit this season.
Most people nowadays don't have the patience to appreciate an intricate and beautiful sport like soccer. The majority of the population wants to see fast-paced, high-scoring sports. They also want sports in which Americans are the BEST, and until we become the best at soccer (i.e. the U.S. wins the World Cup), most Americans won't even begin to consider taking the time to appreciate the beauty of soccer, let alone consider it to be a major sport.