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Soccer, Not So Boring After All
Thursday, May 26, 2005-10:11 PM
"Suddenly, it's a different game all of a sudden!" The announcer redundantly expressed the excitement the crowd felt at the European Finals soccer match between Liverpool and Milan.
What happened during the final minutes of the game changed the way I look at soccer. I saw three goals scored.
Before tonight, I don't know if I've ever seen a single goal scored during a soccer match that wasn't being shown during the highlights on the evening news. This evening, I saw not one, but three goals scored during the course of about six minutes.
Teaching young Chinese students English as well as introducing them to some aspects of Western culture, the topic of soccer inevitably arises. In fact, I imagine most places in the world outside the U.S. soccer is a hot conversation topic.
But, in my home country, The United States of America, soccer sadly ranks slightly above figure skating as a socially acceptable sport for men to watch. You're better off admitting you have a poster of Katerina Witt hanging in your bedroom, than admit you watch soccer. At least the Katerina Witt poster proves you're straight.
So what's all the fuss about soccer anyways? Soccer games are fast paced and exciting just like sports are supposed to be. And what I noticed while I watched the European finals match, was that the game was actually very controlled and coordinated. It wasn't just a bunch of guys kicking a ball around a field randomly.
But the greatest advantage I think soccer has over its American counterpart, (American) Football, is simplicity. What do you try to do in soccer? Score a goal. What do you get if you score a goal? A point.
On the other hand, the rules of football defy explanation. No matter how much I try to simplify the game, I wind up pulling my hair, because there is no simple, concise, logical explanation for a game as bizarre as football.
I don't expect soccer to compete with basketball, baseball, or football as a major spectator sport in the U.S. Sports cannot rely on excitement alone. For any game to gain a foothold, there has to be some cultural or historical background before it can gain an audience. Take, for example, "American Gladiator".
All I'm saying, is give soccer a chance.
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