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...about the World Cup, dear friends?
Sitting here, having just watched the U.S. team quietly lose to Ghana, I must say I am disappointed. Yes, there is disappointment at the loss, but mostly at the entire event.
I have not been much of a soccer fan since high school when I rooted for this team. It was kind of the cool thing to do, and I, admittedly didn't learn much about the sport. Since high school (suffice it to say many years) I haven't watched much, though we happen to have a major league team in Columbus. But recently my college boy has grown interested and it has rubbed off. So I watched more World Cup soccer than I would have.
And I must say I am disappointed by the lack of good sportsmanship I have seen. While I have seen plenty of cheating, what appeared to be just plain meanness, and really bad calls by referees, I have seen very few moments of good old-fashioned sportsmanship.
Like with most things of the world these days -- politics, entertainment, society in general -- it appears that international sports has lost its humanity. Yes, there was hard work, but there was not a lot of heart. Even among members of same teams, there was not much camaraderie.
Oh, and as a side, there is that damned vuvuzela -- that ginormous kazoo-type instrument that sounds like the droning of bees. Did you know that the South Africans blow those just to annoy their opponent? That's the thanks FIFA gets for bringing this huge event to South Africa.
What say you, friends?
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I agree with everything, especially the vuvuzela and the refs. Really bad, unfair, refs.
ReplyDeleteI was talking with my college boy yesterday about the bad call during the Germany/England game. I was really mad about it (why? I have no idea -- the unfairness aspect, I guess). He said he doesn't think they'll ever use technology for reviews -- it's an American thing. What they see -- or not -- is what they see. I can understand not reviewing every play -- but goals? I told him if I were on the British team I'd boycott the next games and he laughed out loud at me. "Oh, mom!" The youth are so laid back! ;-)
ReplyDeleteIf I WAS on the British team -- grammar faux pas!
ReplyDeleteI'm not a fan--and the vuvuzela makes it so much worse! Between that and Big Brother's recent interest in building didgeridoos, there's a lot of droning going on around here.
ReplyDeleteBarb,
ReplyDeleteI hope that boy is planning to take his instrument to college! ;-)
My standard blog comment: you put it so well, what I've been thinking!
ReplyDeletei played soccer for much of my life though i dont like watching it much. terrible refs were always just a part of the game. not sure how i feel about replay-the game is too fast for it. some sort of goal detector thingy like hockey might not be bad.
ReplyDeletei dont agree with the bad sportsmanship though. i think it is just that in other countries soccer is the big sport and they play with a lot of emotion and tend to be emotional people (ie italy). exchanging jerseys at the end of the game is showing sportsmanship. if a player on one team gets hurt the other team (if they have possession) will likely kick it out so the hurt player can get off the field. the other team usually gives it back to the team that kicked it out once they tend to the hurt guy. to me, stuff like that is good sportsmanship.
now the acting they do to try and draw fouls, that drives me CRAZY!!
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Thanks, Kate. :-)
ReplyDeleteRegina,
I suppose sportsmanship looks different to different cultures. I think meanness is universal, however. ;-)