The Drubbing

Well said, brother! Soccer is the world’s game, but just America’s game. In fact, the only sport that could be said to be uniquely American is basketball – thank you, James Naismith. Baseball is cricket with round bats instead of flat ones and four bases instead of two, and cricket fielders wear no gloves. Football is rugby without the pads or the forward pass. Brian Kenny, on his ESPN radio show last night, asked if the US advancing in the World Cup would increase the likelihood of my watching the games. Being a soccer guy, I’m going to watch anyway. But soccer doesn’t need America as much as America needs soccer. Soccer has the world. Nearly every other country, “civilized” or not, would declare soccer as their national sport (save baseball, football, or basketball for the US, and cricket or rugby for a few others). 300 million Americans only matters so much on the world stage. But soccer is a great sport for fitness, coordination, and skill. It’s fun and strategic. And kids love kicking things. The equipment is cheaper than baseball or football (in fact, I built a pair of small soccer goals out of PVC pipes and some cast-off netting for a South African school for about $100). Soccer can be played anywhere. So America, embrace these 23 guys in South Africa – they make me proud to be a player. Embrace the game.