66% Of Skagitonians & I Have No Interest In The World Cup

I must say, before I say anything else, that I am not much of a sports fan, professional, amateur, any of it.

Watching someone play a game seems way too passive to me. Not that I've ever been drawn to play any of these games that seem to enthrall way too many people.

The only sport I have ever enjoyed watching is basketball. Basketball is fast paced. To get to the professional level you have to be a highly evolved athlete with the control and athleticism of a ballroom dancer. You'd have to be a Dancing with the Stars viewer to get how true that is.

Over the years, before Aubrey McClendon stole the team and moved it from Seattle to a forlorn existence in Oklahoma City, I have no idea how many Seattle Supersonics games I've seen in person. Even playoff and championship games.

I even enjoyed watching my sisters play basketball in high school and college, even though I find, generally, girls playing basketball to be somewhat excruciating to watch, but not nearly as excruciating as watching girls play softball.

I went to the very first game the Seattle Sounders played in Memorial Stadium in Seattle. I'd never gone to a soccer game before. I enjoyed it. Mostly because the place was packed, the people were wildly enthusiastic and Mount Rainier hovered to the south. A very nice setting.

The World Cup is currently underway. Bizarrely, to me, this is the world's biggest athletic event. Bigger than the Olympics?

My old local newspaper, the Skagit Valley Herald had a poll this morning, asking "What do you think about the World Cup?" 66% said they had no interest. 15% said they loved it.

I suspect my opinion about soccer and its worldwide, except for America, appeal may be in need of adjustment, but this is what I think. Sports that are popular in America are expensive, that being basketball, football, baseball and hockey. All require special facilities, and some, special uniforms.

All soccer requires is a flat piece of land and a ball. So, the poorest country in the world can afford to play soccer.

Soccer is extremely simple. Back and forth, up and down the field, occasionally taking a shot at the goal.

A game can end in a tie. Like, I believe, the World Cup game between the U.S and, I think, the U.K., did.

There are no breaks in soccer. It just goes on and on and monotonously on. Not exactly commercial friendly for American TV.

America may have way too many entertainment options, compared to a lot of other nations. In other words, soccer, here in America, competes with a lot of far more exciting, far more entertaining things to do and watch.

In my humble opinion.

I really don't think it is possible for soccer to ever attain the popularity in America that it holds on much of the rest of the world. It seems it has been decades now that I've been reading that soccer is finally taking off in America, that this is the year soccer comes in to its own in America.

I think the only way that could happen is to alter the game and Americanize it. Get rid of the goalie so that there is a lot of scoring. Have multiple timeouts so cheerleaders can do their thing. Have a big break between halves so there can be a halftime show.

Full disclosure, I have never made it through more than a couple minutes of a World Cup game. For all I know there is a big half time break with a big half time show. I doubt it though.

Okay, I'm done with my semi-politically incorrect diatribe of the day.