(Before I begin, I apologize for the month-long hiatus, and thank you to all of you who have requested the blog revival).
The every-other-day adrenaline rushes provided by the Blackhawks are but memories now, so I find myself searching for something to satisfy my sports jones. I've tried the Sox and Cubs, but both are mired in mediocrity and the pace of the game (compared to the hockey I am used to) can be generously described as laborious.
So, I decided to try something new to me...World Cup Soccer.
I had previously dismissed the sport as boring, knowing that most games have very few goals and that ties are acceptable and commonplace. But after watching a few matches, I have a new appreciation for this event.
The World Cup seems to parallel the Olympics, as most players take a break from playing for their professional teams and are united in playing for their country once every four years. And the enthusiasm of the fans supporting their countries is undeniably frenzied and inspirational. But there are a couple of characteristics that don't make sense to me...
First of all, the drama and over-acting that is on display during any given match is more than you would find on "The Jersey Shore" and "The Real Housewives of Orange County" combined. I mean really...the flailing and grimacing that occurs nearly every time someone falls to the ground is embarrassing. Lose seven teeth during the course of the game and then come back and play in the same game, and then you might be able to complain a little about the guy that pushed you down or kicked you in your padded shin guard. Play the game, prima donnas.
Also, I think that some of these guys have taken a few too many off the noggin. I mean, I like to watch the players trash-talk and complain to the refs. My amusement comes from knowing that German players more than likely don't understand what Serbian players are saying, and both can complain all they want to the Spanish ref, who doesn't understand either of them. My experience is that trash-talk and complaining work best when the message can be understood by the recipient, but these guys don't seem to care. It doesn't matter to me, as I just watch and give my own narrative, a la "Mystery Science Theater 3000".
But as much as I may want to try and embrace this event, the annoying buzzing of vuvuzelas makes watching difficult. Vuvuzelas are the plastic horns that are blown for the duration of the game by the fans, making it sound like a bee attack. How do they do that for 90 minutes straight? Worse yet, I have begun to hear these around the neighborhood. The pain and discomfort that these annoyances bring to the broadcast are similar to the vocal stylings provided by Hawk Harrelson during Sox games. So, I'll watch both with the sound off.
Let it be known that I have tried something new, but I just don't think that I'll become a follower. There's only so much audible pain that a man can take. I'll just catch a live baseball game or two, wait patiently for the football/hockey season to start again and hope that I don't run across someone blowing a vuvuzela out on the street.
If I do, I may be forced to turn it into a sitting pogo stick for them, and then have to endure complaining in a language I don't understand.
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I am in the same boat. Baseball is not doing it for me, so I have tried the World Cup as well. My confusion is in the fact that for many other countries, when they win a game, there is massive rioting / partying in the streets of that particular country. How is a soccer game so important that this happens? And don't any of these people have jobs? And I do want the name and address of that referee from Mali that called the "foul" on the US team. I would like to take a vuvuzela and stick it.......
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