by Lord Anthony
The vast majority of USA and Canada haven’t a clue why the Europe-centred world is in delirious excitement. Those who consider they "keep up with the news" may be aware of the Euro 2008 soccer fiesta going on, held every four years.
But without having lived in a soccer-mad county it’s impossible to grasp the depth of the passion. A North-American may point to the Stanley Cup, Grey Cup or the laughably-named World Series in US baseball but for the rest of the world the interest-needle doesn’t even twitch.
I confess to being a helpless addict to the game. I sometimes think of it as
ballet to a ballet-nut, except when do you get half a million delirious ballet-fans filling the streets of Moscow?
This followed their underdog champions dumping the mighty and star-studded Netherland side by three goals to one for which their Dutch-born coach was offered honorary citizenship, joking about being a traitor to his native land.
If he was an American he’d be flayed alive!
But that’s how soccer-fans respond to reaching even a semifinal. Or Turkey, the most incredible come-from-behind team with a pool of only seventeen players, playing with brilliance and tenacity to a semifinal berth this week against the mighty Germany. This last-sixteen excitement doesn’t even address the qualifying rounds in which countless nations are eliminated. When this happens their supporters usually take on a proxy-fan role from an astronomic array of choices. Perhaps the nationality of their mum, dad or best friend or the team which has their favourite club player, or just the nice colour of the shirts.
I suspect this changed loyalty most often goes to any team playing against the one which dumped their own country.
When it’s all over, the passion is spent, the grumbling and celebrating subside. The big wheel turns and faces the World Cup Finals held in South Africa in 2010.
There is curious paradox here. Two years back I was in Lincoln Ne. just prior to the last World Cup. The University of Nebraska hosted a 5-a-side tournament with an amazing collection of ethnicities involved.
I had the chance to talk with the polite lads from USA who ran away with the prize with their hard, fast and beautiful soccer, reinforcing my belief that it’s only a matter of a few years until USA reaches the highest levels of the game. Several Americans are already playing in the UK Premier League, as tough as it gets.
Yet mainstream USA resists and pooh-poohs this colossal pantheon of human genius and interaction, just one of the countless reasons the world doesn’t really understand them, deepening their isolation.
Even before the current horrible administration started its dirty work.
I’m an addict too — but I support the team that’s playing the best soccer. Thus I never support Italy.
Note that several Canadians have played for the UK Premier League in recent years (such as Thomas Radzinski and Paul Stalteri). Also, one of our up-and-coming phenoms was his team’s season MVP in the very, very tough Spanish La Liga. Unfortunately our performance as a country has, in the last seven years or so, been poor at best.
I don’t know if we’ll see the USA win a World Cup any time soon — or for a long, long time. It’s possible but I’d say the odds are long.
(Side note: the World Series was originally sponsored by the now-defunct newspaper, the New York World. For once, the Americans aren’t being pompous about it.)
I am also a soccer addict. Starting out, here in Nanaimo, B.C. my buddies from school were all on teams. All nationalities.
We had a lot of Italians playing, as well as Natives, English, Irish, on and on. My sons started playing when they were 5 years old as it was cheaper for a single Mom to maintain compared to Hockey or any other activity that was organized. They played all the way through their years until just recently when family demands and old injuries started to cause too much inconvenience. The human body is such a beautiful machine. I would sit on the sidelines with tears in my eyes at the sheer brilliance of action. Such incredible condition these fellows are in. We still watch all the tournaments together and love it. Much more than Hockey.
Americans enjoy gladiatorial-type games featuring men with immense heads and necks.
The rest of the world loves football (soccer).
Full marks to the Russian squad. Amazing.
OK, so I don’t know from soccer but …
I do think that you could see half a million ballet fans on the streets of Moscow.
Could be wrong of course.
In France life stops for soccer. And Rugby.
I love soccer…my youngest son played all through public school and even refereed a couple of seasons. It’s a terrific sport for parents of young players because the total cost of equipment, uniform and other associated paraphernalia amount to oly a fraction of the cost of an average pair of hockey skates and the conditioning these kids get is amazing.
As for the ballet analogy, ballet dancers have a great deal more in common with soccer players, than say ballet dancers have with american/canadian football players, with the possible exception of the quarterback. My football hero, by the way was the first black man to play quarterback in professional football. He was an American named Chuck Ealy and he had to play in Canada.
Chuck would have made a great soccer player.
His Humble Inkstained Lordship stands suitably admonished by fellow-scribes who know more as historians than he does, that the World Series is named after a defunct New York newspaper, and is therefore not laughable but I’m sure George Carlin could find something in there.
Point well taken. Thank you all.
Back to business. How many Americans, especially baseball-fans, are aware of this?
I wasn’t, but am neither.