I'm still allergic to sports, so don't get any ideas from today's post that I've gone all mushy. It's just the times.
First, I am unlikely to give the World Cup a thought, so if you hoped I'd keep you advised, I'm sorry to disappoint and recommend you look elsewhere. I do have this tidbit however.
The US plays its first game against England. It is the first meeting of these 2 teams in 60 years of World Cup play. The last time they met, the US beat the defending champions. It was so spectacular that 55 years later they made a movie about it. The Game of their Lives. Kind of like Chariots of Fire, only on grass. Trivia fans may note that 5 of the US starting 11 were from St. Louis, 2 of the 5 coached my 1st. grade soccer team.
Second Point: In the US major college sports conferences, in a never ending rush for the almighty dollar are breaking up and reforming with different conferences. The group I have known all my life committed suicide this morning, as one team left and the rest will seek TBBD. How this will play out is anyones guess, the only constant is change.
But for those who provide the fannies in the seats what teams are we supposed to hate? Rivalries are developed over time, not invented.
I'll mix my metaphores for the sake of non US readers for a bit. Suppose you are a NHL hockey fan in love with Toronto. All your life you have despised the hated Montreal team. Suppose you woke up tomorrow to find Toronto would never play Montreal again? Man U would never play Chelsea? Michigan never to visit Ohio. Sports fans have to hate some other team, its required. So who would root against?
Can a team join a new conference, attend the first organizational meeting and say hello, how do you do, we would like to hate your team and state too, OK? Doesn't work.
And finally. Apparently, no one gives a flying fig about basketball. The switcheroos are about making stronger televised football packages, at the cost of destroying some major basketball conferences.
If only NIKE would just take over the whole mess.
Toad
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9 comments:
Sir Toad, I am a huge college football fan (does that make you dislike me?) and it grieves me that money is driving all of this madness. The lesson being taught these kids is it's all about money. No wonder the NFL is full of pretentious asses who are loyal to whoever offers the biggest payout rather than the game.
For someone who is alergic to sports you seem to know an awful lot about how they work :O)
Toronto could live without Montreal because we also have Detroit :O)
I'm terrified that somehow this is going to result in Kansas losing Coach Self.
Imagine David, KU and K-state joining the WAC.
JDB the business side of sport, the greed, the implied FU to fans inherent in how major college and pro sports are organized fascinates me. Fans are such sheep.
I heard a guy working out today say to his buddy in jest, "Yeah, I hate those San Diego State....well, I will when I find out what their mascot is." The whole thing is cuckoo for cocopuffs.
Toad you've nailed this topic its always about the money.
I'm echoing Suburban Princess: if you hate it why do you know this much? When on holiday last week Bill noticed a poster about football (soccer) and mentioned that the US played the UK the next night...in South America, is that right? I thought that was vaguely interesting, but not so much that I could tell you how it turned out. Soccer players in Britain make stupid amounts of money and some of the players really don't handle it well at all. There's just about nothing happy about this subject, I don't think.
Shelley: Obscene amounts of money make most things somewhat interesting.
I'm not a sports fan in the way that if given a team name, I probably couldn't identify the sport, or city, and whatever it is I not likely to watch it, unless it is one of my grandchildren.
Ha! Can't really argue with your first point. Yep, matching teams and cities is not my best category either.
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