I think many people have been converted this past month to FIFA World Cup soccer. The final game was the epitome of the sport: persistent defence, intermittent offence, dismally low scoring. After all, it took 116 minutes to put the ball in the net.
But after a month of soccer games, the strategy of the game started to become apparent to me. Each team has its distinctive character, skilled players, and subtle strategies. Over 700 million people watched the final, putting a definite global stamp to the game. It's time we North Americans caught up to the rest of the world in their appreciation of the sport.
I chuckled over Alan Burnett's post about the final.
In his wisdom Alan bought "a six-pack of Spanish beer (San Miguel) and a six-pack of Dutch beer (Amstel) and in expectation of a thrilling and high scoring final I had promised myself a bottle of the appropriate brew each time a goal was scored. As I watched the match my thirst increased in inverse proportion to my enjoyment of what was a pedestrian final. By the time the one and only goal was scored - after 115 minutes of play I was seriously considering transferring my sporting allegiances to an alternative high-scoring game (just think what you could do with the same approach to cricket). It was a sober night..."
Alan, here's one or two for Brazil, 2014.
Image from Alan's post.
