World Cup
Bulletpoint thoughts on the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
- I have watched 5 soccer matches in the past couple of weeks. Which is roughly 4.5 more soccer matches than I've watched in my entire life..
- I'm mostly excited that everybody is excited. I said it before. The game isn't my cup of tea, but I acknowledge that a few billion people can't be all wrong.
- As such, I don't have a dog in the hunt. Not really. Though I did feel a sting of patriotic disappointment when Portugal scored its last seconds goal against the United States.
- So, I guess I am rooting for the United States. I think it stems a lot from the fact that this is a sport that our country doesn't dominate. Moreso, it's not even a sport that the US has been consistently competitive in.
- Still, I didn't dig the "Unfinished Business" narrative we had with Ghana, for their pool play game. Yeah, they've beaten our team before. We beat them this time. I forget the twitterer who said so, but I enjoyed the thought: Losing to the United States in soccer didn't even rate in the 100 worst things to happen to Ghana that day.
- I find that I enjoy the pomp and revelry that are attached to each game. Had I realized the sport was this close to Pro Wrestling in terms of entrances, I might have latched on much earlier.
- Aesthetically speaking, the sport is still not necessarily my cup of tea. I am seeing the appeal more now than I did a couple of weeks ago. Still? The play area? Too huge by more than half. Shorten that motherfucker. My lazy ass only says that somebody running an average of 8 kilometers in a game hasn't figured out a better way to spend their time.
- Added time feels wrong. It's a shyster's move. Five minutes in that U.S./Portugal game? We were only listening to that one on a car ride back from Cincinnati, but that feels a little too much like whimsy.
- Stop flopping, by the way. What shit. I will enjoy the sport more when you stop theatrics like that. And I'm the guy who praised your sport for the pro wrestling entrances just three bullet points above!
- I will note that the logistics of qualifying for this sumbitch are way more interesting to me than the actual competition. I like tournaments and the such, anyway. But the logistics of finding 31 teams plus the host country? Insane. And I like insane.
- I have added Argentina's and Uruguay's National Anthems to my favorite National Anthems, by the way. Jaunty. Lot of fanfare. Dig it.
- Again? I'm mostly excited that they're so excited. I dig the energy of the crowds. Especially the South American fans for their teams.
- I watch this as Argentina and Nigeria look to be getting into a slobberknocker. I do wish there were more scoring. I realize that's probably Luddite of me. 4 minutes in, and it's 1-1. This one could go another 86 minutes with this score.
- Ties bother me. I get it, I reckon. Still, the American in me is bothered because that reptile part of my brain says There Can Be Only One!!!!! Shyam and I argued about this, with her taunting me about hockey shootouts. Don't know how we got there, but I hate shootouts, too. Play an overtime. If it's an issue having run for 90 minutes? Maybe shorten your pitch? I dunno.
- Anyway. I'm enjoying this thing. I will say I've learned a lot. I don't make fun.
- Much, anyway....