Thoughts on the World Cup
June 07, 2002 ~ 12:58 p.m.
The U.S. soccer team took one against Portugal the other day during World Cup play in Japan. I would have been happy with whichever team won considering that I drew both teams in the office football pool. If there really is such a thing as a �can�t lose� situation, this would surely be an example.
I curious to see what the Americans could do against Portugal, a country where � as with most European countries � soccer is revered with an almost religious conviction. Around midday on Friday, I asked two co-workers if they knew the score. One of them told me, �you won.�
�I�m awesome,� I deadpanned.
�Well, not you personally, your country won.�
�Heh heh, cool.�
She looked at me as if I�d just stripped off my clothes. �Your country won and all you can say is �cool?��
Well, here�s the thing � I�m not into soccer. I�m just not. I read the article on the Americans� win and couldn�t understand most of the jargon that is so much a part of a sports report. I can devour American football, baseball or basketball articles. Hand me an article on soccer, however, and you will see me break down in bewilderment.
But, it would certainly be interesting to see the U.S. team advance. If they beat South Korea, they will no doubt be seen heretofore as a serious contender for the World Cup.
But if the U.S. win, the victory will be lost on the majority of Americans who, like me, really don�t care or understand the game of soccer. I want England to win. People here cherish the game and could use the joy that the first World Cup victory since 1966 would no doubt bring them.
America�s strong presence in the World Cup is certainly an intriguing phenomenon. But America is too busy with the NHL playoffs, the NBA Finals, and the baseball season to notice. To us, soccer is merely an adjective applied to the noun �mom.� It�s that strange little pastime that children in school play.
Americans just don�t really watch soccer. It seems a terrible waste for a nation to win when to only the smallest percentage of the citizenry will it actually mean something.
In fact, if you were to tell an American that the U.S. won the World Cup, he�d say, �Oh? Awesome, we kick ass,� and then he�d promptly forget all about it. If you approached him later in the day and said, �Say, did you know that America won the World Cup,� his response would be, �Really? Cool.�
See what I mean? It�d be lost on us. We don�t care.
So, considering I really can�t get excited over the prospect of an American victory in the World Cup � and believe me, I have tried � I feel no shame in saying, �Go England.�
England needs a World Cup a lot more than we do.
� M.E.M.
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Copyright � 2001-2007 by M.E. Manning. All material is written by me, unless explicitly stated otherwise by use of footnotes or bylines. Do not copy or redistribute without my permission.
AMERICA FOR TRUE AMERICANS!