The second part to yesterday’s post. I’m not all negative – and here are some reasons I love soccer:
- It’s a cheap, safe sport for kids. Despite what you may think when you see the fits of pain that send professionals to the ground for minutes at a time, there are few serious injuries in soccer, especially serious head injuries. You don’t need a lot of equipment, either. It’s great exercise and helps kids develop strong athletic skills. Yes, you can spend a lot of money on high-end training, but there is absolutely no need to do so.
- The athletes are strong. Just look how much running around they do in a game! Without the benefit of skates! (Of course, this makes the flopping even more ridiculous.)
- I like how my neighborhood looks like the United Nations every four years. This is a nation of immigrants, and the world cup brings out our pride in our other nations. The people next-door have the Argentinian flag flying. The Irish man down the street is wearing a lot of green. The English bar around the corner is showing every game, and sometimes I cheer for England. A Brazilian friend has friendly bets with his Mexican neighbors. Usually, international sporting events bring all Americans together to root for Team USA, but soccer is different. Soccer divides us in the best possible way.
- The way the Univision announced yells Gooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaalllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll!
So, yeah, I’ll be fighting for a table at A.J. Hudson’s this weekend.
I have been watching most of the games on univision since we do not have cable….talk about an experience! Many times I have had to call my brother to figure out what the call was….seriously, if the defender touches the ball first it CANNOT be off sides…just saying!