By Jeff Orvis
The most popular sporting event in the
world is going on right now. While a lot of folks are working or
going about their daily business, millions of people around the world
are glued to their TV sets, while tens of thousands are clustered in
a stadium in Brazil.
It is said that more people around the
world pay attention to the outcome of this event than the Super Bowl.
But even though I've been a sports fan for more than 50 years, I just
can't get excited for the final outcome of World Cup Soccer. It is
said that soccer is the most popular sport in the world, played by
more men and women than any other activity.
THIS JUST IN: After more than 29
minutes of play, Uruguay just scored the first goal of the game over
England. Did you feel the earth shake? Me either.
But I realize that a lot of people
plan their vacations around this time so they can watch the soccer
action. I would be the last to belittle their enthusiasm. But it got
me to thinking about some of the other sports we enjoy, along with
some of the pros and cons of each one.
Let's start with soccer. Pros: It is a
game played on a wide, flat, green field. You certainly have to be in
great physical shape to play the sport on the major level, but you
don't have to be over six feet, six inches or weigh over 250 pounds
to play. While I'm sure that the coaches paid handsomely to lead
their teams draw up all sorts of plays, it is quite apparent that the
main goal is to kick a round ball through a net.
Cons: For fans of NBA basketball, the
prospect of watching a sport where perhaps no goals are scored would
drive them crazy. Many of the international fans of soccer are just
plain crazy. They tend to go to a game and shout and chant
continuously from long before the start until the final horn. If
their team doesn't win, sometimes violence erupts. Ever heard of a
soccer riot? More often than not it involves some of those
aforementioned crazy fans.
I just switched over to a PGA Golf
tourney so let's tackle that sport. Pros: It is a sport played by
well-dressed, well-behaved ladies or gentlemen on park-like settings
with some of the most spectacular natural scenery in the world. Golf
fans are, for the most part, much more reserved than soccer fans,
except late on Sunday afternoon, when a few might have had a few too
many libations. Successful golfers have to be in very good physical
shape as well and it is a sport that can be played by tall people,
short people, thin people or stout (but fit) people.
Cons: Fans hoping for instant
gratification, seeking an instant outcome, aren't golf fans. You have
to wait 90 minutes to see who wins a soccer match. You have to wait
four days for golf.
Motor racing might be your cup of tea.
NASCAR stock car racing seems to be the king of the motor world,
although some enjoy Indy car racing as well. The main goal of this
sport is to keep your concentration for up to 600 miles as you go
round and round a track (unless it's a road course). It requires
stamina and constant attention to detail as up to 42 other drivers
are all seeking the same goal at up to 200 mph.
The pros: It is a sport played by
normal, to slightly smaller than normal people. More and more of them
are highly-educated folks who must understand the workings of their
vehicle so they can communicate their concerns to their pit crew. If
you watch racing to see spectacular wrecks, the advantage is that
with the improvements in vehicle safety, cars can go flying or catch
fire and many of the drivers walk away with few injuries.
The cons: Maybe this is an advantage
for those living in a house where other family members aren't fans.
If you are a good judge of time, you can watch the start of a race,
then go out and wash the car or mow the lawn and get back to see the
last couple of laps to see who wins.
Baseball is a good sport for those of
us who like to multi-task. If you can divide your attention to keep
tuned to the play-by-play guys, you can read the newspaper, surf the
internet or do some household chores and when you hear that something
interesting has happened, race back to your chair to see it on
replay. That's also a good way to watch hockey.
There was a time when I watched a lot
of pro tennis, especially Wimbledon or the U.S. Open. But the days of
Evert and Connors and Sampras are long gone. If you can name the top
five men and women on the tour now and spell their names correctly,
you win the kewpie doll.
These are a few of the sports that
hold the interest of many people around the world. But I can bet you
know where this is heading. It's about 70 days until the start of
football season and I can hardly wait. Despite concussion dangers,
politically correct team nickname feuds, etc., there's still a lot of
great things about football, from the sandlot level to the pro level.
I'll probably tune in to the soccer
tourney at times this week. It will give me a chance to clean the
house, wash the dishes and wait for the announcer to scream”
“GOOOOOOOOOAL!”
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