Conservatives aren't SUPPOSED to like the World Cup, but I've never had a problem with the game of soccer itself. That's what a father who was born and raised in Europe and a brother who played college and professional soccer will do for you. The game gets a bit dull at times, and the constant diving (Nicky and I call it "flailing") is irritating, but it's very easy to "get into" the World Cup -- far easier than the Olympics. The haphazard administration of the game -- constantly veering between chaos and tyranny -- is another matter. Why is soccer refereeing so inconsistent and, at times, downright incompetent? Why is it so difficult to make use of instant replay for goal decisions, at the very least? Why do soccer officials always give off an unmistakable air of supercilious arrogance? This must be what being ruled by the UN would be like... or at least the European Union.
For the Final, I'll take my cue from the Disney comics world and pick Germany and the Netherlands to beat Spain and Uruguay, respectively. Then, the Dutch break their duck (pun sort of intended) and beat Germany to win the Cup for the first time.
The World Cup is just another one of “Those Things the Media Says We’re Supposed to Like”! So, they force feed it to us, and all we can do is resist… resist… resist!
ReplyDeleteKeep repeating: Baseball, football, and LeBron James! Baseball, football, and LeBron James! Baseball, football, and LeBron James!
Don't resist. It's a taste worth acquiring.
ReplyDeleteI never really got into soccer until this World Cup, but I quickly fell in love with it. I'm still a big fan of American football and a moderate fan of baseball, but I've gotta say, at this point I think I might like soccer most of all. At its best, it's simply mesmerizing, especially once you've watched enough to appreciate the subtleties of the game and the skills required.
Well now, Joe Torcivia making a comment on how he dislikes soccer...
ReplyDeleteThat takes me back way back to when Gemstone was publishing those HDL soccer kids stories and Joe was a regular in the mail column.
Glad to see you're still around, Joe :)
Thanks again for the blog Chris, at least you got 1/2 in your world cup predictions!
Yeah! Who said even us heathen liberals followed the World Cup?
ReplyDeleteI may have edited comic stories based on it, but it wasn't by choice. (OTOH, though, I'm not much for sports on TV regardless of what they are, so maybe I'm not the best example of anything.)
Everyone,
ReplyDeleteIt was quite an experience watching the WC climax over in Europe. Stay tuned for more details!
Chris
Except in USA, I think, soccer is "the" sport. Wait until 2014, when World Cup will be place here, in Brasil (popular known as "the country of football"). : ))
ReplyDeleteI don't really get the connection or lack thereof regarding conservativism and the World Cup, even after reading the link.
ReplyDeleteI never thought the World Cup was such a strong point for liberals, either.
Please explain...I guess I'm not getting something...
Mark,
ReplyDeleteSome conservative commentators have a track record of antipathy towards both soccer and the World Cup. (Michael Medved for instance; he's also not too crazy about the Olympics due to the huge expense, disruption, and so forth). Some liberal commentators decided to jump on this this year and create "The Right-wing War on Soccer." It's a tempest in a teapot, really.
Chris