Soccer Fever – Could it stick!?!?!
It was pretty rough to spend an entire month completely surrounded by the sights and sounds (BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ) of theWorld Cup and not get swept up in the “this is the year that soccer will be here to stay” hype that happens every four years. But I held out. I wanted to see how well it’d stick when America’s heart rate got back down after Donovan’s late winner against Algeria, and after the tears dried up after that heartbreaking exit to Ghana.
I must admit, I’ve been pretty pessimistic about soccer sticking in American culture for some time now. It’s not how we work. We can barely watch TV shows without DVR anymore, because the two minutes of commercials is too much of a break from the action we’ve come to need from our televisioning experience. So how can we be expected to watch 90+ minutes of soccer. Yes, soccer, that sport where any team has a chance, so long as you play 100% defensively and hope for a miracle (2010 Switzerland et al. v Spain). That boring ol’ game. It’s just unrealistic.
But if New Meadowlands stadium had a vote in this, it’d say that soccer is here to stay! Oodles of fans, and 11 unlucky American soccer players packed the not-yet finished stadium to watch Brazil put on a clinic. And if you think it still might be a quick remission from World Cup Fever, I suggest you start taking a look at the side stories that ESPN is running on their website.
Sure, Lebron and Favre will always produce enough news to keep an entire newspaper staff busy, and they’re always going to take the front page story, but have you noticed that you can now find news reports and opinion articles about the goings-on of some of Europe’s best leagues? Every once in a while, headlines will pop up – “Fabregas to Barcelona?”, “Robinho wants out of Man City”, “Liverpool resign Torres” “Fabregas to Barcelona? The saga continues”, “Mourinho eyes treble in Spain”. Now, I don’t know how much of this is driven by actual fan support, or how much of it is ESPN trying to impose its will upon America, trying to make some money by tapping into what can be a very very large market for them. But the fact remains, soccer isn’t fading away so slowly just yet.
And MLS seems to be picking up some steam. I recently saw a Real Salt Lake game against Philadelphia Union – on TV. Now that would never have happened in years past. First, the game wouldn’t have even been on TV. And also, as a self-respecting soccer fan, I wouldn’t have been able to watch the crappy MLS teams perform the comedy of errors that I’ve grown to so fondly associate with MLS. But I did it. Yeah, I’ll admit, its not the same as watching Man U face Chelsea, but it wasn’t all too bad. Better yet, the fans seemed to be LOVING it. Over the microphones you could hear the swell of emotion as a team was nearing the goal, the jeers at the ref for blowing a call, and the pure orgy of excitement when a goal was scored. People weren’t just watching – they were caring! It wasn’t a soccer game – it was a soccer experience.
I guess only time will tell, but from what I’ve been able to see, I think soccer is making deeper and deeper inroads in American culture. People know and care about what the UEFA Champions League is. People watch the Euro competition and the Confederations Cup now, not just the World Cup and a Premier League game or two every once in a while. You don’t ‘follow sports’ without having something to say about soccer; without having seen a game or two recently.
People are starting to ask better soccer questions. No longer are people watching games and asking, “why didn’t he shoot?”, “can’t he just score it?”, or “isn’t there basketball on?”. People ask questions that are actually worth asking. “Why did they start Ricardo Clark instead of Fielhaber?”, “Why do our defenders just boot it up, haven’t they heard of possession?” etc.
Now that we’ve got a strong(er) fan base – Americans made up the majority of the travelers to South Africa this summer – it seems there’s only one thing left to do: win something. That’s what will glamorize soccer and really catch the nation’s attention, and capture its imagination.
“No way, nobody will ever care!” Really? Lets take a look at an example that’s a bit of a gamble for me, but that I think makes a decent example… hockey. Following “The Miracle on Ice”, hockey became a mainstream sport for a good while. I remember growing up (in South Florida, mind you) playing hockey on the street with the neighborhood kids. This was all part of the aftermath of that resulted from Team USA’s historic win over the Soviet Union and eventual Gold in the Winter Olympics of 1980. Unfortunately for hockey the bureaucracy and the NHL falling apart ruined their hot streak. But they’re getting back on track and things are looking good again.
This sort of thing can happen with soccer. If we knock off a superpower (Spain, Brazil, the Netherlands) and actually win something big, we can make sure soccer stays. Then we can start thinking about the scenarios in which the sheer athletic talent we produce in this country can turn to soccer. People have long asked, “Could you imagine if Lebron or Adrian Peterson played soccer?!” But only after a big win can we start asking, “Why did Reggie Bush pick football instead of futbol?”
Soccer’s day is finally here, now we need someone to carpe this diem…
UEFA Champions League Redux
The UEFA Champions League is the most unique sporting competition in the planet. No other sport has the sheer number of teams to be able to field a competition that is so large and so well contested. At first glance, it may seem that its simply the best European teams play each other in a tournament with some funky rules regarding home and away games, and determine who reigns supreme. But its more, its called the Champions League for a reason. It’s not a tournament, but rather a near year-long quest to be crowned champion of Europe. Who gets to play? Why do we make such a big deal about it every year? Why is it going to be great this year, and who’s going to win it all?
Come out on Saturday and watch Princeton take on #22 Cornell!!
You can also listen to all the action on WPRB 103.3 and listen.wprb.com, pregame starts at 5:40. We will also have a live score blog here on WPRB.com/sports as the Tigers try to take back Ivy League dominance from the Cornell Big Red.
A Juicy Opinion
We have grown complacent with the presence of Performance Enhancing Drugs (PEDs) in professional sports.
There, I said it. Now, I can’t be the only one that’s appalled by this fact, dumbfounded that we have such a short attention span to let this one pass by as a fad. Major League Baseball, and its droves of followers are the easiest to point the finger at, especially since its been only weeks since Mark McGwire came clean about his use of PEDs. Where’s the ongoing outrage? This is a man who captivated baseball fans, along with fellow juicer Sammy Sosa in an unbelievable display of long balls in 1998 and beyond. Not only baseball fans, but the nation at large had McGwire-Sosa fever—does any one remember why Big Mac’s are a staple of the good ol’ American diet? And no, it’s not enough to label the time period between the mid 90s to the mid ‘00s as a “Steroid Era” and mentally make a distinction when examining the records. That simply doesn’t do justice to the true greats of the era, who paid their dues in the minors, worked hard year in and year out, only to be cast aside in the shadow of those who shortcutted their way to glory.
I make this claim now, a good two and a half weeks after McGwire came clean, with a purpose. It seems that there’s more coverage on peripheral issues such as Tiger Woods’ personal life, or Brett Farve’s re-run of an off-season drama, than there is on the REAL news of McGwire admitting to using PEDs. Now yes, it’s foolish to say that this revelation is shocking or unexpected. However, McGwire’s coming forward signals to something far more shocking, far more unexpected, and far more scandalous. Let’s go through this one slowly. Why would he come out now? Surely to ‘lift a great weight off his shoulders’… but did he not think that coming out might definitively taint his reputation as a slugger, regardless of how it made him feel on the inside? So lets ask again, why would he come out now—especially since he’s been hired as the St. Louis Cardinals hitting coach (his dream job, by the way)? If there was outrage at his admittance of using PEDs, this all could be in jeopardy!!! Why would he risk it?!? Now for the punch line: McGwire read the sentiments of the baseball community like he read Steve Treschel’s fateful fastball (a.k.a. #62)—spot on. He knew that baseball had grown complacent with the fact that PEDs had been used in the 90s, in the so-called Steroid Era, and that nothing meaningful would be done about his ‘shocking’ admission.
Now, while stricter rules have been put in place for current and future juicers (careful Manny!), there exists no penalty for the past, just ask Alex Rodriguez. The man admitted to using PEDs early in his career, which helped him in part get to where he is now (don’t get me wrong, he’s a great player and all, but do you really think the Yankees would have forked over $252 million if he hadn’t inflated his stats with some juice?). Upon recovering from an injury that kept him out most of last season, A-Rod just kept on playing, and effectively received no punishment for his foul play. Did this give Big Mac the confidence to come out? Probably not in particular. But the fact remains, McGwire came out because he knew that there wouldn’t be anything that could be done to him. Major League Baseball has taken a soft stance on the use of PEDs in the past- no record books have been wiped clean, no players barred from the Hall (officially, at least), and nothing having to do with fines or any other type of punishment. It makes one wonder if they understand what it means to let this go unpunished…
It means that the unsung heroes go unnoticed. Even during and after the controversy, the spotlight is on those involved with PEDs. Never is the focus on those who should be given credit for their noble work ethic and raw talent. Though many of the players I’m referring to are indeed well-respected and highly regarded in the baseball community, their notoriety ends there. So, out with A-Rod, Barry Bonds, and McGwire. I say, in with Omar Vizquel, Ichiro Suzuki, and Jeff Bagwell. Let’s idolize their greatness. Surely, it’s not awe-inspiring from their sheer power. But its how they play the game, how they’ve always played the game, and how they earned the respect of their teammates (and the few, more astute, fans). Their combined 21 Gold Gloves, 16 All-Star appearances, and countless other accolades and off the field commitments are what make them the players I believe we should truly look up to, not the trendy long-ball hitters who play the game selfishly and dishonorably by getting juiced.
It’s sad that the responsibility of picking our idols from the game rests solely on the fans, who have to weed through years of stats and player photos to see if they have been abnormally good and muscular some years. Major League Baseball should take responsibility and enforce harsher penalties to ensure that there’s no mistake, and that young players and fans know who the real idols are. By making a strong statement, Major League Baseball would make a commitment to the future of the game, ensuring it be played the right way.