Another Kind Of Football

I admit my knowledge of international soccer is somewhat limited. But I still appreciate the sport. I'll watch the World Cup-- and not just because the USA has a team playing.

It's asking a lot, but all football lovin', baseball watchin', basketball playin' American sports junkies ought to show some interest in what's about to take place. Some will, because the US is playing. Others won't, falling back on their crusty argument that it's a dull sport played by unknown (to them) players.

I used to be one of those guys. Then I started to travel. I actually got off my street, outside my neighborhood, away from my city, and visited places where Oliver Kahn (Germany) and David Beckham (England) matter.

In 1982, my wife and I were in Toronto to watch the Blue Jays play the White Sox at old Exhibition Stadium. After the game, we got caught-up in a traffic jam in a small Toronto neighborhood. Italy had just won the World Cup, and the neighborhood, comprised mostly of Italian-Canadians, was celebrating the victory. It was a classic moment and it opened my eyes that the human (and sports) landscape doesn't begin and end at the Atlantic and Pacific coasts.

Enjoy the World Cup.

Appreciate Brazil.

Enjoy Ronaldinho.

And yes, though the odds are against them, cheer for the USA.