Tonight the RSL Stadium becomes part of Salt Lake City’s history. I’m not too sure how I feel about that. To be honest, my feelings are about as twisted as a bag of 5 for $5.95 curly fries going this way then that. As a spectator watching from the comfort of my own home with the competition of the Jazz preseason home opener against Shaqdaddy and the NLCS Game 1, I have between a 0%-30% chance of watching the RSL game tonight. TiVo’s busy tonight so I’m going to have to make a decision. The stadium itself is a healthy dose of high-quality studliness. Part of the reason being that it sits in Salt Lake City and has the Wasatch Front rising high into the sky giving the new field a Home-Sweet-Home-Franklin-Covey feel to it, part of it can be that it’s a step in the right direction for Salt Lake to come from a small market to a mid market city. And part of it could be that the stadium is only 2 minutes from my house. Yes, I agree with most people when they say that the new stadium is amazing but it doesn’t overcome my feelings for the sport it was created for. The field is beautiful, no doubt about that, but the activities on the field I haven’t fallen in love with. I know I have every reason to love the world’s sport of soccer. I’m one tenth Argentine, I have a Major League Soccer team 2 min from my house, I was in Argentina during the 2002 World Cup and caught the fire of a frenzied nation, and I have the sport’s greatest and most celebrated player leave his arrogant homeland and join us here in the good ole U.S.of A. to help inspire me to like the game and yet I won’t be able to cause my finger to change the station from a non-HD KJZZ preseason NBA game to watch RSL in HD on ESPN2. What is the problem here? I’m not sure, but I think I need to say that I just don’t like Soccer. I might need to see a shrink but the sport just doesn’t do it for me. I know this might casue some discomfort to hear from some of the CBACSMACK counterparts but I can't blame them for getting sucked into the blindness of a sportless sport. Rather I'd like to explain myself more fully.
Why don't I like soccer? Well, I do understand that the sport requires endurance, balance, coordination, endurance, and endurance. If you can run a marathon you can be decent at soccer. When a sport makes your hands illegal the sport’s threshold for excitement is limited. If you can run fast and kick hard you can make it as a soccer player and many people in this world can run fast and kick hard. Maybe that is why the world loves the sport because the whole world can be good at it. Not everyone can hit a 95 MPH baseball 400 ft or throw a 65yard touchdown. Not everyone can even dribble a basketball much less compete at the level of the NBA. My point is this – MLS players are the best at what they do. However, the space between the best, the mediocre, and the poor is very small and has very grayed lines. And that is the reason for my distaste for the sport. With the empowerment of the average player to be great, comes the inability for greatness. Diego Maradona made some incredible goals in his career and it completely defined him as a person but his talent doesn't extend him to the outer reaches of sporting mythology. He might have been the only one to have completed such a task but there are hundreds if not thousands of players that are at a level not far behind. That is what bothers me about the sport. It's an "everyone's special" sport and when everyone is special, no one is.
I sincerely hope my opinion changes for my sake so that I can enjoy Rio Tinto Stadium down the street. But as for now, anything other than free tickets to RSL is too rich for my blood.
Thursday, October 9, 2008
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7 comments:
Scuba,
I agree on many of your points about the physical aptitude one requires or should I say "doesn't require" to play fubol at a semi-decent level. But just like your thoughts about futbol can be compared to those crustacious curly fries, mine are more in line with deer hunting. As a fan, you sit on your can most of the time just hoping something exciting comes along to look at. Most of the time its pretty boring and you find your mind drifting off to something more exciting like the WNBA or figure skating (without Tonya Harding).
Soccer is that boring in the U.S. In fact, I'd rather watch the same Curious George episode 5 times in a row with my son, while writing a thesis. But, on the other side of the golden Sacajewa is the international play. I don't mind watching international matches, especially during the World Cup when I can legitimately lose all sense of reality after Argentina scores a goal. This is the culture of futbol that I love. Hooligans get so drunk and crazy that they end up brawling with their own fans or surging forward in the stands so hard the first 10 rows of idiots get sandwiched into bars like steak on a philly cheese. Sadly, I find this stuff exciting. Boca v River is a perfect example. It happens every time.
Watching soccer in the U.S. is like watching South Africa play basketball. Its boring and not worth your time. Watching paint dry is more appealing.
And Thumbs...Argentina will dominate Brazil in 2010. Stamp it twice, then trimple stamp it. "El Mano de Dios" will be back!
Se dice "La Mano De Dios" rrrookie.
Starting off with Pocket Full of Shells
Scuba_
Interesting choice of your first post. I get that you might be less enthusiastic about soccer but really went pretty deep, with of course some hopes that we might refute some of the comments. I bet you were thinking they would come from the Brazilian or Argentine but some of your analogies need to be rectified. Soccer Athletes Are just that Athletes. You must be kidding to Say a marathon runner would and is a great soccer player. Some Marathon runners are so skinny and frail I think that strong wind could break their leg. At least a real soccer player are able to as you said "run fast and Kick Hard" Soccer is much more, Soccer is Bursts of speed, with Strategies, Defences, Superstars, with insane fans that will kill for their team. That is what we need in american sports some real Passion. Passion from the heart, passion from their souls. I admit I am not a huge fan either, but I did watch most of my wife outdoor league this year to support her and I realized that it is much harder than it looks and I think that they (MLS Real) deserve the respect from you a well rounded sports fan to give it a chance before you flush them down the toilet. If you can have a reputation liking sports, like you do. Do as Abba SAYS and Take a Chance on Me. I did like your run fast and Kick hard but really that what any sport is, football is a bunch of guys that are either really srong, fast, or can throw hard or accurate. Baseball players can swing really fast or stand in the box and take walks really well. Sit in the bullpen and never even get in the game, or pitch to only one player. There is a difference in each sport that is why we watch, we love the dynamics of seeing one team dominate the other like the Jazz over Lakers, Sox over yankees, Utes over the Cougs and so one. That is what brings us together and gives us our sanity. As a sports fan we all think of ourselves as though we are good enough to play that sport we love to watch. When in all actuality you would look foolish out there with the Professionals. I have said a million times to myself when Gira airballs another three, that if only I was given the chance I could be playing for the Jazz. I have been to couple games they are fun you should consider yourself lucky to be that close to a professional sport. Im not saying you need to paint your face an get a "Real" tatoo on your forehead, just give it a whirl. You might even start to like it, I know that it has grown on me a lot just in the last two years. For no other reason than to just go and get a foot long colosimos sausage and carmel popcorn. Empty out those pockets full of lint and spend the 15 bucks to try it out. Your Athletic freind,
DK
Scubba, Chopper-
You Argentine wanta-be’s. You two are a disgrace to the World for having the lack of appreciation and respect for the world’s most popular sport. I will agree that watching some league games are not the most exciting, but one must understand the complexity, strategy, and skill level needed to respect the game of soccer. To say that any marathon runner would be decent at soccer is like saying any 300+lb. couch potato can go play offensive line in the NFL. Scuba you just showed me how naïve you are to the sport of soccer. As a former and future REAL season ticket holder, I will be happy to take you (by the hand,sitting on my lap) and give you an education of why the world lives for soccer. As of now I would like to thank both of you for helping fund the new stadium with your tax dollars. And for Chopper- you can shove that quintupled stamp where the Sun don’t Shine and leave it there to rot while Brasil spanks Argentina, and “don’t come crying for me you Fake-Argentine”!!! I can hear the words already of Madonna’s remake can you?
Thumber... What makes me a fake Argentine any more than you a fake Brazilian? I love watching international soccer, in fact I get up early to watch BOCA spank River Plate. You must have mistaken me for my less than "soccer enthusiastic" Argentine twin.
My apologies Chopper, looks like you are somewhat Argentine; however as for Scuba, you are 100% Red, White and Blue. If you had 1 ounce of Argentina in you Scuba, you would bleed of soccer.
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