The World Cup recently finished with a less than exciting 1-0 match that left Spain on top. Despite the impressive ratings in the United States, Jane Gilvary believes soccer is a sport that should remain to be outside our borders. "Call me xenophobic," she says, "but I’m tired of hearing that soccer is the most popular sport in the world and that the U.S. needs to adopt it." Well, soccer is the most popular sport in the world. There is no doubt about it.
As far as people who want the United States to join in, I believe only Americans would enjoy that. Think about it; who would really want the United States to consume their game and spit it out as its own? Nobody, besides Americans that is. Gilvary adds "like the European metric system, Americans will never fully embrace soccer." Now thats an argument worth having. Not only is the metric system European, its Earthean. Everybody uses metric, save the United States, Liberia, and Myanmar. Ask most Americans how many pints are in a quart, and the answers will vary. Even I couldn't tell you off the top of my head. Ask anybody how many millilitres are in a litre and you will get the same answer just about every time, one thousand.
But anyways, back to soccer. When the World Cup was played in America, suddenly the game became "exciting, pure, and refreshing". She is implying that soccer interest sprung up Stateside for only that reason, and that the game changed just for this one tournament. Actually, its far more likely that interest was because the tournament was played in America, and the games seemed better because they ended with favorable results. Isn't a Super Bowl held in Phoenix far more exciting for Arizonians than other Super Bowls, even if the Cardinals are not playing? And why would she expect the Union to sell out games at the Linc when it took an international tournament to do so in the past?
"The girls of summer played soccer as it should be played, with no dramatic 'diving' to gain sympathy from the referees—they played to win. Their technical play was flawless and their passion was exhilarating." Ironic that an American who claims to be no fan of soccer notes how purely the game was played when the Americans win.
Let me mention how two of the twenty members were moms at the time of the tournament. Sixteen would have children after or no children at all. Information on the remaining two was not available. Gilvary really stretches the meaning of "Soccer Moms" to mean "Almost none of them had kids, but they were women and they did play soccer."
As far as people who want the United States to join in, I believe only Americans would enjoy that. Think about it; who would really want the United States to consume their game and spit it out as its own? Nobody, besides Americans that is. Gilvary adds "like the European metric system, Americans will never fully embrace soccer." Now thats an argument worth having. Not only is the metric system European, its Earthean. Everybody uses metric, save the United States, Liberia, and Myanmar. Ask most Americans how many pints are in a quart, and the answers will vary. Even I couldn't tell you off the top of my head. Ask anybody how many millilitres are in a litre and you will get the same answer just about every time, one thousand.
But anyways, back to soccer. When the World Cup was played in America, suddenly the game became "exciting, pure, and refreshing". She is implying that soccer interest sprung up Stateside for only that reason, and that the game changed just for this one tournament. Actually, its far more likely that interest was because the tournament was played in America, and the games seemed better because they ended with favorable results. Isn't a Super Bowl held in Phoenix far more exciting for Arizonians than other Super Bowls, even if the Cardinals are not playing? And why would she expect the Union to sell out games at the Linc when it took an international tournament to do so in the past?
"The girls of summer played soccer as it should be played, with no dramatic 'diving' to gain sympathy from the referees—they played to win. Their technical play was flawless and their passion was exhilarating." Ironic that an American who claims to be no fan of soccer notes how purely the game was played when the Americans win.
Let me mention how two of the twenty members were moms at the time of the tournament. Sixteen would have children after or no children at all. Information on the remaining two was not available. Gilvary really stretches the meaning of "Soccer Moms" to mean "Almost none of them had kids, but they were women and they did play soccer."
