World Cup Fever

Imagine if the only sport Americans cared about was football. Imagine every kid dreaming of growing up and being an all-star in the NFL. Imagine if basketball and baseball were irrelevant compared to football's glory. The Super Bowl would be even bigger than it is now, and who knows, maybe people would care about more than just the commercials and watch the game. Now in this same scenario imagine that once every four years, America sent a team of its best players--all of its superstars--to compete against the 31 best of the other countries of the world. That would be kind of a big deal.

Now let me take you to the real world and introduce you to a more popular kind of football--you might know it as soccer. Beyond the borders of the United States, this sport dominates. In other countries, the best soccer players are the superstars of society. And every four years 32 teams from 32 countries meet and compete for the biggest prize in all of sports--the World Cup.

Meet hysteria. Last Friday was a national holiday in Costa Rica because the national soccer team was playing in the opening World Cup game. Four years ago, England practically shut down when their team made it to the semifinals. The papers declared, "Nothing else matters."

But for goodness' sake, let's come back to America, where nobody cares. Most people are probably unaware America's playing in the World Cup, and those that are probably just skim over the headlines in the morning paper.

Now I'm not saying that I think soccer is the greatest thing in the world. It's not my favorite sport. However, "sports" fans that are missing the World Cup don't know what they're missing. If you think March Madness is intense, tune into the World Cup, you will see fans that make the Cameron Crazies look lame.

So if you don't believe me, check it out for yourself. Especially watch the United States play Italy in a must-win game and see if you can stay passive. Enjoy.