I've been pretty engrossed in the world cup for the last couple of weeks, it's hard for me to tear myself away from ESPN in the morning and get to work on time. Thanks to modern technology, and the ability to program the recording of sporting events, I wake up each morning to great football, and go to bed at night watching the games I've missed. I dream of shots on goals, free kicks, and shirtless men hugging each other. I have to admit, the dreams of shirtless men are disturbing to me on several different levels. The idea that I might have heterosexual tendencies is cause for a visit to my therapist, and unfortunately, she's a lesbian, and she thinks my odd dreams about sweaty, half-naked football stars mean that I am experiencing a desire to breed, and produce offspring.
I gotta tell ya, when my shrink told me that I wanted to produce children, I thought that she needed therapy. In fact, I shouted at her in this high-pitched voice, "Kids?! Are you F-ing crazy?"
She told me I was being unusually aggressive, and gave me a prescription for some really good meds.
I have thoroughly enjoyed the World Cup games, not just because of the naked torsos, but because it's the biggest event in soccer, and you get to see some amazing sports. In a game that lasts 90 minutes, without commercials, without huddles, and without protective head gear, anything can happen. This is truly a game when size doesn't matter, it's a game where speed and quick thinking are your greatest assets. It's a game that can be completely riveting, even when the score is 0-0. And if you're lucky enough to be in the stands, it's a loud and passionate game, where fans beat drums, drink a lot of beer, and sometimes act really stupid. I believe in fair play and good sportsmanship, but sometimes the antics of the fans can be more entertaining than the actual game.
Hey, I didn't make the rules, that's just how it is.
My big dilemma this year has been deciding who to root for. After my disappointment with the first game that the US lost horribly, I started rooting for Italy, but then the US came back to tie, now I'm thinking that we might actually have a shot at advancing. Now just because the US has not actually scored a goal yet, doesn't mean that we can't succeed. I like what Argentina has done so far, and having visited that country this year, I'm hoping that they will do well.
But then there's Brazil.
It's not just the skill of the Brazilian players, even though they make soccer seem like dance, and take the sport to an art form. It's just that I'd like to root for Brazil because as a country, I admire them. As a country, they are doing some really smart things. The economy of Brazil has grown enormously in the past few years, they are nearly energy independent, and they are the leading producers of ethanol. They are years ahead of the US in terms of ethanol production, and they have created an internal market for this clean energy. In the US, it wouldn't matter how much ethanol we produced, there are only 610 locations where you can buy it, and most likely, your car won't run on it. In Brazil, not only can you own a flex-fuel automobile, you can buy ethanol at any service station.
America is getting trounced on the world stage not only in football, but also in smart economic and environmental policies.
Our American guys look just as good with no shirts as the rest of the players. We have every advantage, money, education, resources, but if we don't start to play smart, if we don't invest wisely in the future, it's not only football that we're going to lose. Our insane spending on war and perks for corporations and our neglect of education will make us unable to compete, and we will find ourselves losing the economic game to a country like Brazil.
But you have to sometimes root for the underdog, and so I say, "Go Brasil". But in my heart, I wish for the Americans to step up.
