Bars know how to make money when they can find that opportunity. With the World Cup coming up, this is a chance for bars to make a profit from now until July 13. Bars can sell soccer to folks to get drunk and act like hooligans with all the soccer matches going on in the day. It’s a chance to bring people together.
That could be a good thing in a way. It shows people are into the sport and they love their country. Nothing wrong with that. My issue is more with their behavior. The fans are boorish for soccer for only reasons they know. It’s never like that with other sports.
That’s one reason I can’t stand soccer. It’s hard to get into it when fans scream at my ear while I am trying to watch and enjoy food at the bar. Behavior like that is a turnoff actually.
It isn’t only fan behavior that bugs me about soccer. The game is hard to understand. It’s not interesting. The matches are way too long. There is not much athletic ability. Flopping and whining are part of the sport.
I tried getting into Brazil/Croatia match last week. I was turned off after an hour. There was too much standing around for most part. When the game was getting late, it was Brazil’s turn to flop. It was the only way they could have won. The ref brought into Neymar’s flopping as a penalty, and he was able to kick the game-winner out of a call. That was why Brazil won. That’s not a proper way for a sport to be operated.
It’s hard to take a sport seriously when a team wins by flopping. Yes, basketball involves flopping, too, but most of the time, teams win through athletic ability.
There’s also nothing worse than players whining to the refs. It’s common in all mainstream sports, but in soccer, that’s always the thing to do.
With Team USA playing Ghana on Monday, I gave soccer another shot. That match was actually interesting late. I wanted to know if USA can somehow hold on to the lead. It was clear they were going to play prevent defense and play not to lose. This team did not have enough scorers. Somehow, they found a way to win.
That got America excited. Everyone was hooting and hollering at bars and streets around the country. It made us feel proud. It made us act like hooligans for those few minutes. Why not? It’s rare America enjoyed a soccer win by Team USA.
It will be interesting how our country goes up against big, bad Portugal Sunday evening. A win can pique more interest to soccer. It’s something FIFA officials privately are rooting for. The sport desperately needs to take ground in America, and the more Team USA wins, the more the sport can take off.
Good for soccer fans for enjoying their moment. They should being the passionate fans they are. This is their time. This is a chance for their sport to stand out in a time where it’s a downtime for sports with NFL training camp not started and NHL and NBA having their seasons over.
Here’s hoping soccer works out in America. Anytime a fringe sport can grow into a profitable sport, it’s a good thing. It’s the American way. There are passionate soccer fans who deserve to see their sport experience growth in this country.
Just don’t get me into soccer. There is no point trying. I rather watch figure skating before I become a full-fledged soccer fan. At least, there is more movement in that than in soccer where there is more standing around.
There are not many good storylines that one can take out of soccer. Team USA’s pursuit of a World Cup is only a storyline because of their futility of soccer. Once they start winning, the appeal will go away.
I doubt I will be watching the rest of the World Cup. If I wasn’t interested now, it’s hard to think I can get into the rest of the series. It just never appealed to me. I gave it a try. There’s nothing anyone can do to get into it.
Soccer is an acquired taste is what I got out of it last week.
Contact or follow Leslie Monteiro at @LightRodWriter
Leslie Monteiro
Leslie is a contributor for Lightning Rod Sports. He covered high school sports in Bergen County out in North Jersey, and has written op-ed columns on sports such as Bleacher Report and NY Sports Digest.
