Tag: Sports

  • World Cup Dispatch: England v Iran

    First of all, I don’t know if this will be a running series or not. I’m watching the World Cup, and we’ll see how often I write about it.

    Second, I would like to again pay homage to my friend Shawn, who in the Summer of 2002 took the time to make me a convert to the world of international football.

    Third, I am going to try to watch as many matches as possible, but I will put a preference on the teams that I normally follow; USA, England, Mexico, and South Korea. I may drop in on some others, but this will be my primary focus. If they all get knocked out of the tournament, then I might stop following… you know, like a true fan would.

    Right now, I have been watching the England v Iran match since the 30th minute. We are in stoppage time right now, and England is up 3-0. Iran doesn’t look terrible, it’s just that England looks like a well-oiled machine. I mean, they scored three goals in ten minutes, and Kane hasn’t taken a good crack at goal yet, so this could be a very long day for Iran. If I was the rest of the group, I would say everyone needs to find a way to gum up the Kane/Sterling duo of England, or this will just turn into a fight for second. Being that they have just gone in for halftime, I don’t see Iran coming back to earn a draw let alone a win. I know, really stepping out on a limb with this take.

    And so, my World Cup 2022 journey has started. Just like when it was in Russia last time, there is a feeling of hypocrisy blanketing this tournament. Not only because of the blatant bribery that took place for Qatar to get the Cup, but another authoritarian nation gets to put on a façade to the world that they are a modern, open, and free country. This will be an issue I will be wrestling with for the length of the tournament, and I am sure this won’t be the last time that I mention it.

    Let’s see how this play out.

    Oh, Second half started and Saka scored again. 4-0 England.

    Wait Iran, just scored! Holy crap! It’s 4-1, but at least Iran is still fighting.

    (Hey! Please, if you are enjoying this blog, take a minute to give a like. You can share this post or leave a comment, but most people don’t do that. Following me; well, I won’t say know to that.)

  • England v Germany and Euro 2020/21 In General

    Today at noon, in Wembley Stadium, England will play Germany in the knockout round of Euro 2020/21. I’m pretty excited about this. I will also be pretty excited if Harry Kane shows up in a dramatic way today. I don’t need him to score all the goals. He can assist Sterling all day, and I’ll be happy with that result.

    I’m almost on the level of excitement as if I were watching the World Cup. I don’t know a whole lot about the teams, outside of England, but I’m enjoying the drama of the matches. Switzerland defeating France was exciting. The same thing with Belgium knocking out Portugal. There’s even part of me that hopes Italy does well, but I know that’s a long shot.

    I’m a little surprised at how much I have gotten into international football. I’ve started reading up on Premier League trade rumors, keeping an eye on qualifying matches for the World Cup, and in a weird way, I’m really looking forward to season two of Ted Lasso. (It’s all connected.) Either way, I’m enjoying myself, and that all that matters.

  • I’m More Excited About British Football Than American Football

    I’m More Excited About British Football Than American Football

    Yup, I can hear my friends and family back in Texas shitting a brick right now. Being that football in Texas is a well-documented religion and industry unto itself, they would be dumbfounded that someone who grew up under Friday Night Lights, would somehow become all hipster and start liking soccer. It’s true, and then I would correct them and say, “You know it’s called football all over the world.”

    Yes, it’s true. I found myself more excited about the Premier League starting up again in Britain than I have been for baseball coming back or the basketball bubble. I haven’t cared about hockey since the Dallas Stars won the cup, and I do respect MLS, but I haven’t been able to get behind the NY Red Bulls (Too Corporate) or NYCFC as they are partly owned by Manchester City, and more about that later. American Football feels like they well screw it up like baseball. My true feeling is that American sports team owners don’t care about their players, and are just trying to throw them out in the mix, to grab what money they can. Baseball clearly hasn’t thought it through, as the 12+ Marlin players contracting Covid in the last 48 hours proves.

    I do want sports back, if nothing more than to have something to nap through on a Sunday afternoon, and also to have something to talk to people about. Nothing gets settled in sports discussions, but they sure are fun and do help give you an insight on the person arguing that Charles Barkley was the most revolutionary player in the NBA, period. (Feel free to comment on that.)

    It was fun for the past few weeks following my team in the Premier League, Tottenham Hotspur, as they fought for a 6th place finish which qualified them for the Europa League. As I follow the Spurs, I have adopted a dislike for all teams from Manchester, and loath Arsenal. And there is something also about how the Premier League took the virus seriously, especially player health. On the week of July 13th, 2,208 players and staff were tested and zero were found positive. In fact, from May 7th to July 19th, only 20 positive test results came back. They all did what they had to do to have a safe end of the season.

    I don’t think America will be able to say the same.