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World Cup Runneth Over
My fiance Tracy is about as much of a non-fan of sports as you can get, but even she noticed how well-hyped and marketed the World Cup has been this year. And you know what? It's still barely registering with the American marketplace. We are just not a soccer culture, which is kind of crazy considering that about a third of our kids play in some kind of a soccer league.
I know very little about the intricacies of soccer. I can appreciate the athleticism and the passion (read: borderline psychosis) of the fans. There have even been a few moments I've seen that have led me to cheer out loud. But as I see it, "The Beautiful Game" has several built-in "flaws" that will prevent it from ever being a dominant player on the U.S. scene. A few of these factors are listed below:
a) Games can still end in ties. How can this be? Even a backwards, idiotically run league like the National Hockey League realized that ties are bad for business--unless you're selling suits. Until FIFA and the world's top soccer leagues realize that in sports we crave a definitive winner, the U.S. will never embrace soccer.
b) The U.S. Men's team basically sucks. Despite all the hype, the fact is the best male athletes in America don't play soccer--after about age 12, most of them gravitate towards football, basketball and increasingly (don't laugh) lacrosse. That doesn't mean that the U.S. doesn't have good players--we do. It's just we don't have superstar caliber players like almost every other country in the World Cup. Case in point--the much ballyhooed tie with Italy. I saw the goal we scored--it bounced off the shin of an Italian player trying to get out of the way. And the U.S. played very well in that game. If the only goal we can score in a game in which we manage to outplay a mediocre opponent is basically an accident, what are we going to do against the Brazils, Germanys and Englands of the world?
c) There's not enough scoring. Everybody loves to see points go up on the board, especially in the United States. Sitting around for two hours plus and watching two teams battle to a 0-0 tie just ain't going to get it done, no matter how much on-field artistry the players display.
d) What happened to Heidi Klum? The smartest thing FIFA did was, when announcing this year's World Cup field of 32 teams, they had Heidi Klum on hand as a co-host/eye candy. I've watched a little bit of the World Cup and so far I haven't seen Heidi Klum anywhere. What gives? Do you want the sport to catch on in America or what? Put her on the sidelines in a bikini, or in the announcer's booth in...anything...and ratings would double. Nee, triple. Guys would keep watching well after the U.S. was eliminated, which would be in the first two weeks.
Despite all this, I'll give you my uneducated pick for the winner of this year's World Cup: in a mild upset, the Czech Republic beats Brazil to win the Cup. Don't take it to the bank.
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Baby Boom
Britney has a little white trash infant NASCAR driver every nine months. TomKat and Brooke Shields had babies on the same weekend in the same hospital. Then came Gwen Stefani/Gavin Rossdale and then Brangelina and their Shiloh in Africa. Now, this weekend, my friend Dave and his wife Kerstin can join this illustrious list: welcome to Elenora or Nora, 6 lbs. and 11 ounces of joy born late Friday night in Denver, Co. Mazeltov you two!
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The 150-Word or Less Movie Review: Akeelah & the Bee
One of the best movies this year, and appropriate for all audiences, is the Fox drama Akeelah and the Bee starring Keke Palmer (pictured), Angela Bassett and Laurence Fishburne. Palmer plays Akeelah, a true life spelling wunderkind who emerged from poverty and resentment in South Central L.A. to make it all the way to the famous Scripps Howard Spelling Bee in Washington D.C.
What happens there I'll leave for you to find out, but I will say that the acting in this movie is extraordinary, led by Palmer, who has to carry the movie as the young Akeelah and manages to do so with breathtaking charm and naturalness. The movie has some cliches, but it manages to spring a few surprises and it teaches its lessons with a light touch and respect for it's audience's intelligence, which is refreshing in this day and age. It may be gone from a theater near you, but definitely look for it when it comes out on DVD. (PG)
Think I'm done? Only for now...I've got to take a break, but I'll be back with more very soon. Peace...
Insult of the Day
"You're not entirely useless. You can be used as a bad example."
--Henny Youngman
1 comment:
Hi Reggie,
I know it's been a while and we have a lot to catch up about, but I have been moved to post directly rather than email you personally. After reading your latest blog entry, something has become crystal clear to me:
You know nothing abou football.
Nothing.
You poor man.
-Seth
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