Mexican fans at World Cup
I know, the rest of the English speaking world calls it football but that just doesn’t work for me. I’m an American (even though I know, I know, that there are 2 other countries in North America but you know what? they have other names, we don’t) and my brain is only wired to connect one game with the word football and the 49ers don’t play soccer.
I like to watch professional sports, some of them anyway. I’m working on soccer but it is not an easy attraction. I’m even getting up early, occasionally, to watch a game. I bug Stephen with questions trying to figure out the rules and strategy.
A US woman blogger who lives in Chile wrote recently that you have to support the team of your home country, it’s part of the culture of the sport. I’m not good with that rule, I couldn’t care less about how the US did (they are out now) in the World Cup. Perhaps that is generational, she is 2 generations younger and grew up playing soccer and competing. On the other hand, outside of my son, I doubt I even know anyone in the US who has ever watched an adults soccer game or who gives a hoot about the US team if they even know we have one. So, forget the US team whoever they are.
Mexico though, I’m interested in the TRI. I did get up early to watch their games and I was sad when they were eliminated. I now know who some of the players are and I listen to the gossip about who played and why. I am appalled at the lousy refereeing and have no understanding of why this kind of major world sport doesn’t use technology and avoid having the whole world see exactly and immediately how wrong a call was. If we can all see it at home, they should be looking at it too.
I won’t say soccer is as boring as baseball, that sport tops my Most Boring Ever watch list. (don’t read this part John and Mary!) I’d rather watch golf than baseball, at least there is less ball scratching and spitting during the interminable down times. Plus, environmental disasters that they are, golf courses are pretty. So, with baseball as the gold standard of boring, where does soccer fit?
It’s not as exciting as basketball, which I love to watch. There is a lot of running up and down but nothing much happens in soccer unlike basketball. Plus, the players are all over the field so you can’t get those tight shots of the ball and still see what everyone else is doing. Generally, they seem to stay panned way back to show the whole field which makes the players look like little cartoon figures and you don’t get the sense of skill and force that you do in basketball.
Sorry rest of the world, soccer is not as exciting as US football either. Same problem, nothing much is happening, no goals, no close action shots, just more running up and down and only an occasional shot at the goal almost all of which don’t make it. No brute force either and no strategy shots with X’s and O’s and the lovely voice of John Madden explaining what went wrong.
If the main skill in soccer is footwork, then how are you supposed to get a real feel for it from so far away? If they do zoom in so you can really see what is going on, then suddenly the ball is kicked completely out of the shot and to some guy who you didn’t even know was back there.
On my personal ‘watchability’ scale right now, soccer falls behind the big 3 of football, basketball, and tennis. It’s above golf and it is infinitely better than watching baseball which makes me want to tear my eyes out.
I’m still trying to get into it, I’ll get up in the morning to watch Brazil vs Netherlands. Since I wasn’t born with the colors of every nation in the world embedded in my brain, it will take me part of the game to figure out who is who and which way their goal is. In this case, I’m pretty sure there will be a lot of orange on the Dutch and the names will be another clue. Better uniforms could help that but, like instant replays, there doesn’t seem to be any will to improve things. It’s that human belief that change is bad. What I really think they need is John Madden with some X’s and O’s.
I was introduced to futbol way before football and spent every Sunday at the stadium in either Buenos Aires (HUGE) or La Paz (Bolivia and even though it was the capital, the games were much more low key than B.A.) eating bags of mangoes and watching the games. I LOVE the Copa Mundial and I can’t believe you find it boring. But i’d rather stick a fork in my eyes than watch baseball so there you go.
(oh, and Brazil is yellow and green and i think El Tri and El Celeste have The Most Beautiful uniformes in the world. Are you listening to TV Azteca? The commentary is well worth it.)
Came across your blog a long time ago by accident searching Gary Larson. It’s fun reading about your expat life.
Sorry to be pedantic, but I think you erred in the following sentence:
“I could care less about how the US did (they are out now) in the World Cup.”
Shouldn’t that be, COULDN’T care less?
One sees/hears this all the time, and begins to wonder if they both now mean the same thing. Doesn’t make me want to “tear my eyes out”, but it’s just one of those things…
Cheers,
Tooter
ARGH!!!! Tooter! That is an error that also drives me nuts and I DID IT! I’m humiliated enough that I went back and fixed it but I’m honest enough that I am here admitting what I did. Thank you for letting me know. Years from now, reliving my life, I would have seen that and gone to my grave in shame. You saved me that final humiliation and I could care a lot less about that.
Kathy, I’m not quite saying that I find it boring. I’m still watching it, I’m watching it on Televisa. I am trying to work up my interest and knowledge now while the best in the world are playing. I grew up watching football (de USA), basketball and tennis. I too would rather stick a fork in my eyes than watch baseball. I just wish for more action I guess, more scoring, something rather than the endless back and forth on the field and failed goals.
OK, you knew I would have to, so I will not disappoint, however much you could or could not care less or more or not all………This World Cup has not been one of the best …yet ……poor, no awful decisions without the aid of the available technology ( such as use in other strange sports….yes even Cricket !) have eliminated teams , dare I mention an offside Argentinian goal. I would mention the Frank Lampard England “goal” as well, but the England team are so bad, even a 2 goal start would not have helped.
Get over “soccer” it is not called that, we have Rugby football, Association football and even American football…..so even if limited cultural history means that at the moment you ain’t winning , you will ( Becks will see to that !)……….ok scratch that it’ll be the Chinese……I don’t get NFL (?) either, but …………….as we say back in old Blighty, especially when we have no hope in winning…..it’s not the winning ( luckily) it’s the taking part………….no matter how embarrasing it seems …………Not sure of my point, but neither are some of the teams taking part! OLE and God Bless the Queen ??
The saying I’ve heard on our side of the pond is: “It’s not whether you pitch or catch it’s whether you get to suit up”. It doesn’t have much to do with sports though.
OK. You made your mea culpa before I could stick in my oar. Couldn’t care less and all that.
But your post was great. Even though I do like baseball. Hard to get the Brooklyn Dodgers memories out of my memory.
I always enjoy reading your blog, Jonna, but this one jogged memories of Andy Rooney…close your eyes and you can just see the curmudgeonly fellow with his closing commentaries. Too bad this blogging gig does not pay as well.
How about balonpie, is that easier instead of soccer? That is the translation for the word football:)
I’m more interested in Mexico … but still like to see the interest increasing in the US. When I was a kid soccer was only a playground activity mostly unsupervised and certainly not coached.
American football comprised of big fat guys pounding each other into the ground seems too much a reflection of the US anymore … and I have a arthritic knee because of it.
Fútbol ya!
I think I am rather curmudgeonly about soccer, or futbol. I didn’t get up early to watch this morning, oh well. I caught the last 5 minutes and overtime (whatever that is called, I forget) of the Brazil/Dutch game and it was a huge upset and Holland won. It seems from reading that one of the Dutch goals was scored off a Brazilian player which must rankle. I will say that those last few minutes I watched were more exciting than most of the other games I’ve seen. I think the quality of play must have been better or there was less hanging out and more intensity since this was the end for one of them. Oh and I only hear pelota used for the ball in soccer, that could be regional.
This is my first experience watching the Copa Mundial…I am an American Football fan. But I have enjoyed watching these futbol games, especially Mexico’s participation. I liked the fast moving, hockey and basketball aspects of the game. The commercial comparing chocolate to crack was over the top hilarious! And unlike our football, there were not 100 commercials every five minutes.
A 90 minute futbol soccer game is over in two hours, including the Big$$ TV commercials at halftime – and only at halftime. A 60 minute American football game takes 3 hours to air in the USA – with commercials FOR five minutes EVERY five minutes. Don’t get me wrong though, I am happy to watch 9 hours of football on Sundays, but I use it like you would background music. I look up during the instant replays, which yes, futbol soccer could certainly benefit from using!
I was disappointed we couldn’t get the USA games here (I don’t have SKY I have Cablemas). However I feel you can root for whatever team you want. (I change AmFootball favorites sometimes since I have no affiliation NOB) I was for Mexico in the Cup, but if you notice, even now with Mexico eliminated, the Latinos stick together and cheer on their latino counterparts….it brings Latin America together. I think it is pretty cool to see the World Cup from here, with all the coverage….etc, the partying at the monument after Mexico’s win. But everyone in my house is from “the rest of the world” except for me, the only gringa. So the excitement level here was probably a little higher.
This game today between Brazil and Holland didn’t start until 9am. Are you serious about having to get up early to see the game? Or are we watching on tape delay with cablemenos?
Jonna, you really put a lot of thought into your order of preference. I am sort of with you as to learning to like futbol/soccer. I’m trying and maybe your analysis of the long-shot cameras is what is really the problem. I will say that yesterday, when we were in Cancun waiting for someone to bring us the small tv we bought, we stood around the bank of tvs in the electronics section with everyone else (including the person who was supposed to be getting our tv) watching the end of the match between Ghana and Uruguay. There was some exciting action, the most I’ve seen in any of these games yet.
I love watching tennis, baseball, football, hockey. I hate watching golf. And I really don’t like watching or even thinking about basketball. The four sports I really enjoy are ones that I have seen ‘live’ – something about sitting in an arena or stadium that makes it exciting even if the game is a dud. I played baseball as a child, hockey as a teenager, and tennis as an adult. I tried to play golf but after numerous swings and the ball still on the tee, by the seventh hole I was in tears and I stuck to miniature golf after that.
Anyway, enough about me…this was a fun post to read! Oh, forgot to mention – 9 am is ‘getting up early’? Since I am just reading this today and the game is at 8, I thought you meant today. I have to chuckle, we get up between 6 and 6:30 (I would love to sleep until 7 sometimes, just can’t quite make it). Enjoy your day!
It is FOOTBALL, or even Association Football………that’s all I’m saying!!
Glad to see that other expats seem to be enjoying watching the Copa Mundial. I echo the comments about the crappy officiating and need for “instant replay & review.”
Another funny commercial was the one of the “soccer penalty kick” in which fans in the stadium, tried distracting the “kicker” by uplifting placards that formed a “sexy hula girl” image. When that didn’t work they formed an image of a BUD LIGHT. That worked! The kicker failed!!! Very clever ad.
I first became a WC fan in summer of ’98 while studying Spanish in Merida. Seeing the emotion (& devotion) displayed by Mexico fans after its exciting defeat of Holland was contagious and made me an instant convert. Of course, it’s much more exciting watching it in a country where soccer IS the national sport.
On that day, I headed by bus from Colonia Mexico Norte to el Centro, but the ride came to a full halt at the big glorieta with the massive monument (the modern one w/ indigenous glyphs) Hundereds of excited Mexico fans were seated and standing on the monument and were spilling over into the glorieta and adjacent connecting streets. They were singing, waving flags, and joyously uplifting their liters of beer and booze overhead.
All glorieta traffic was stopped for at least 45 minutes, and it seemed that not one of the passengers seemed to mind, even though the heat on the bus was stifling. The bus driver didn’t even mind letting some of the more youthful passengers get off, & subsequently reboard, to enjoy the celebrations outside during the traffic jam.
Jonna, I, too, will root for Uruguay, but suspect that Germany will dominate the final four and be victorious.
Seeing the excitement in a country where futbol/soccer is king, made me a “soccer” convert.