My World Cup Runneth Over

WOW, where to begin. I must first confess my ignorance when it comes to soccer, football, or whatever it is called. I do not apologize for said ignorance, but admitting it is the first step.

With the biggest sporting event in the world just a few hours away I figured I should take a bit of time to discover what it is that makes the world crazy for the game. (That and I figure I will be stuck watching some of it since it will be spilling over into my ESPN and ESPN2 coverage of real sports).

So I did some research. Did you know that rather than stopping the clock for injuries they actually just add time on to the end of the match? Weird huh? And did you know that offsides is the exact opposite for American football than for world football? Yeah in world football a player must be deeper into the attacking area than the player who recieves the ball. That would be like telling Torry Holt that he can't catch the football unless Isaac Bruce has run further down the field than him!

Stupid rules aside there are some things I like about soccer. These guys are the most well trained and durable athletes in the entire world. They run, and run, and then run some more. Seriously, it is like track and field with a ball instead of a baton. I admire that.

Baseball fans can relate to the sport too. If you like a pitcher's duel then a 1-0 soccer match must be a wet dream.

So, who do we root for? Well your home country of course. I mean unless you want to be a total dill-hole. It's the only sport that you can't really bandwagon on. If I were going for Brazil then I should be kicked in the arse. We all know that Brazil won the last World Cup, right? (I actually I just learned this about an hour ago) So me rooting for Brazil would be like all of these nuts out there rooting for the Steelers all of the sudden. It just isn't right.

So, go America. But going is something that they will likely not be doing. Apparently the good ol' USA is stuck in the toughest group. (No that wasn't rigged, really) We have Italy and The Czechs, and Ghana. At least Amercians can make Ghana-ria jokes to pass the time. Either way, America is expected to have a better team this time around, but not make it out of the 1st round. (We made the Quarters last time)

Germany, the host country, is also supposed to be really good. Seeing as they were the runners up last time and have a home pitch (another soccer term) advantage this time, I think they can be deemed favorites. I will not be rooting for Italy who has the most racist fans. Nor Iran who are the villians of the tournament.

And that brings me to the riots. And there will be riots. Detroit take notes. You riot well, but nothing like these fans.

And while 10 million people catch a game or two of the NBA finals this month over 2 billion people will watch The World Cup. (But can they charge 2 million dollars a second for a commercial spot like the Superbowl)

So, my bet is being placed. I am going all Germany all the way. First for Dirk who will win the NBA Championship and then his home country which will take home the World Cup and bragging rights for 4 years.

The Olympics used to be the world's best event to showcase national pride. It has long been replaced by guys who aren't allowed to used their hands. I don't know that I will ever like the sport. But rest assured if America pulls an upset and sneaks into the knock-out round I will be sporting the red, white, and blue.