FIFA Fever!

It's been 4 years since the last flareup of my latent case of FIFA fever but it's back and there's nothing that can be done about it. It's a strange disease, characterized by an overwhelming compulsion to watch men in crazy uniforms kick a ball around while being deafened by plastic horn noisemakers. It's pretty rough but it runs its course in about a month. Hopefully I make it through with my hearing and ability to tell if someone is faking an injury intact.

I think there's something really special about soccer/football. It's always felt like the big secret that the rest of the world has always known about but North America is just getting the message on. It still hasn't really arrived yet but I think people are starting to get it more with each World Cup. Hopefully it won't be too long before we have an easy to access way to watch UEFA games and the Confederations Cup and all the other huge football events that go on. Once every 4 years doesn't seem like nearly enough for how much everyone seems to enjoy watching the games and picking their teams and even talking strategy and how well the players and teams are doing.

It wasn't always like this though. I was one of those young lads who laughed at organized sports. I'd played some ball as a kid but never really became someone who would watch anything on TV. It's only in the last few years that I've really come to appreciate the tension and fun of watching a good contest of skilled players. It's a beautiful thing when all the teamwork pays off during a good rush on goal in hockey or soccer. Everyone's got to know what their role is but also have to rely on their teammates to know theirs in order to find or make the holes in the defense. When it all comes together you know that it wasn't just a single shining star but a combined effort from everyone to make that opportunity happen.

It's a beautiful game, that's for sure and while it might be a bit blasphemous to the English fans out there I'm putting my support behind Maradona, Messi and the rest of the Argentinians. I suppose there are other teams that I should have a closer connection to but Argentina hasn't failed to deliver a fun to watch game yet. If they keep playing like this I think the'll have a real good shot at the golden cup.