FanNation - The Republic of Sport

I am going to be totally honest here. For many years, I have detested, despised and harbored a general dislike for the sport of soccer. I have a good deal of friends who play the sport, and despite their attempts to sway my opinion, I have remained steadfast in my feelings about the sport of soccer. I believe that, no matter how many times the media proclaims "this is soccer's big chance to break out in America", that the United States will never embrace the sport the way Europe has. Now, this does not mean I am a close-minded person. I have been to several MLS games, and watched the 2006 World Cup while in Italy, the nation that would eventually win the cup that year. However, while I did gain some amount of enjoyment from these events, they only served to confirm my general belief that soccer can produce some exciting moments, but mostly the game is filled with dull passes back and forth in the midfield and men writhing in fake agony in order to draw a foul.

So, as the Euro 2008 tournament approached this year, I tried to approach the sport with an open mind once again. My friends who enjoy soccer were all talking about it, and I found myself with some free time while the games were going on, so I watched the games. Sometimes I would only have the games on in the background while I did something else, but I watched almost every game, from the group stages to the final. I did find myself enjoying some of the games, especially some of the tense contests like the Italy-Romania match that would end in a tie, or the exhilarating Germany-Turkey semifinal that produced three goals in the final ten minutes of the match. I did come to appreciate the nuances of the game, such as the crazed crowds and the thrill of a chance that comes close, but doesn't end in a goal. I also enjoyed ESPN's coverage of the event, especially the excellent Tommy Smyth.

Overall, I felt that Euro 2008 represented the best of soccer. It featured some of the best teams and players in the world, missing only some the South American teams, and provided America with a glimpse of what the rest of the world loves so much. I think that the relative success of the event should show the proponents of American soccer how they can encourage the sport's growth in this country. Focus on the best European teams, even obtaining more mainstream coverage of the best European leagues, like the English Premier League. If Americans could be more gradually introduced to what the sport should be like, then maybe accepting the sport would be easier. Now, as for the MLS ever gaining ground, then a lot still has to change. It is difficult for ordinary sports fans to follow the plodding action in the American version of the sport, especially when the games are played in stadiums meant for baseball or football, not soccer. Instead, people should try to gradually reintroduce Americans to the game, and maybe hope that the MLS will see some increase in ratings, and expect the World Cup and Euro events to see large increases in viewers.

Ultimately, the results of Euro 2008 in the U.S.A. should be considered positive. It has produced solid ratings for the game, even during day time hours, and has built buzz for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. Now, if people try to capitalize on the interest, and market the international teams to the U.S., common viewers like myself could actually know some of the best players' names and have a vested interest in the sport even after the United States is (inevitably and most likely quickly) eliminated from international competitions like the World Cup. Has Euro 2008 changed my mind about the sport? Not really. But the fact that a critical viewer like me could still find something redeeming about the sport has to be considered a step in the right direction.