MLS!

Today my husband, my father and I went to our first MLS soccer game and we were ready to cheer on the home team through rain, shine, and intense humidity. And you know what? It must have worked because we won! Even though the stadium wasn't full, it was a blast seeing our team up close and personal, not to mention a couple fantastic goals! Definitely a weekend to remember.

World Cup Champion: Spain

Even though I'm not the biggest sports fan in the world, it would be kind of wrong not to dedicate this post to the new World Cup Champion, Spain (my husband would never let me hear the end of it if I didn't). It was a tough game, both in the sense of the level of aggression present on the field (there were 14 yellow cards, if that tells you anything), and also in terms of how enjoyable the play was. There was a lot of pushing, pulling, fouling and so on, which can detract from the game itself and cause a great deal of interruptions to the flow of the game. That being said, it was more than obvious that both teams were giving it their all, and the refereeing was surprisingly good compared to the other ref-related debacles that took place throughout the World Cup. I guess you have to leave it to those that invented the game to call a fair match (i.e. the British). The goal that won the game was a "golazo" as we like to say--in other words, an awesome goal, and at the end of the day, a team that had never won before got to take home the trophy, so what's not to like about that? Congratulations, Spain, you earned it! (I must admit that the best part of sports is the celebratory partying--why can't I be in Spain right now??)

One Improvement to the World Cup Would Be...

Instant replay. Soccer may be a sport that has increasingly encouraged more physical play, more egregious fouls, and even serious acting skills (so much so that some players might consider getting some head shots taken for auditions), but I'm guessing most people haven't seen a World Cup riddled with quite so many terrible calls as the glorious WC 2010 (is it a coincidence that WC also stands for "water closet"?). It doesn't even seem like anyone has accepted a payoff--most of the refs are equally crappy.

When I've expressed my intense dislike of unfair calls in the past, my husband has tried to assuage my fury by explaining to me that refereeing mistakes, no matter how horribly wrong, are part of what makes people passionate about football (if by "passionate" you mean wanting to punch the ref, all players, and all fans of the opposing team, then tear your hair out after your team has been robbed of a fair game or even a win). However, after watching this year's World Cup, even he's having a hard time denying that instant replay would be a welcome addition to the sport of soccer. Hey, once in awhile, the gringos actually get it right. On the other hand, you have people like Rep. Steve King (R-IA) who spout these little gems:

"King said that under only one circumstance does he support amnesty for illegal immigrants: 'Every time we give amnesty for an illegal alien, we deport a liberal.'" (http://motorcityliberal.blogspot.com/2010/06/steve-kings-immigration-plan-deport.html)

Is it a shock to anyone, then, why some Americans feel both proud of and embarrassed by their country?

Barbaric "Sports" and Their Aftermath

One of the "sports" that I abhor the most is bullfighting. To me, it's no sport but rather a glorified torture-fest with onlookers who must have at least some sort of bloodlust to be able to enjoy such a monstrous spectacle. While bullfights still occur in Ecuador during the "Fiestas de Quito," it's wonderful to see an increasing amount of people support animal rights and join the marches and protests every year in favor of abolishing the backwards tradition. While Ecuador may be moving ahead in its conscientiousness, the fact remains that bullfighting still exists there. That's without even mentioning places like Mexico, and above all Spain, where the tradition was born. It appears that it will take a lot of baby steps before people begin to break with tradition, think for themselves, and refuse to commit or participate in such abominations.

One "sport" that had not really claimed much of my attention until now is horse racing. Again, to me it's not really a sport, but that's beside the point. While horses may live a grand lifestyle while they're in their prime, only a tiny percentage are actually living like kings or queens because only the smallest fraction of thoroughbred racehorses compete on the biggest stages and win the most illustrious prizes. The rest of them? They have their time in the spotlight, some of them for practically a millisecond, and then what happens to them is anyone's guess. I certainly had my suspicions about what happens to racehorses after they have been "retired," but I was not necessarily prepared for what I was presented with after reading a 5-page article about it in the Washington Post.

One of the conclusions, among several, that I came to is that bullfighting is still alive because of people's attraction to the dramatic, dangerous, and bloody with costumes and flair. People are attracted to horse racing because of money, and dare I say it, greed. And people involved in both activities are influenced by the "society" of the whole event, partaking in the stands, the whole act of "seeing and being seen." Like many people, I would much rather opt for not being seen and being able to sleep at night with a clean conscience and and a mind free of even more ghastly images than already exist in the world.

For anyone curious as to the story of thoroughbred horses after the racetrack, here is the link to the Post article, which is actually quite well written by a freelance writer and horse lover.

Beasts of Burden: What happens to thoroughbred racehorses after retirement

I Watch Sports, Therefore I Am

I would never try to rain on someone's parade in pursuing a hobby or interest. Take sports, for example. I'm a former high school athlete and can appreciate the many positive aspects of playing sports--exercise, camaraderie, cooperation or self-reliance, stress release, and fun of course (spandex almost made it on the list but we'll leave it off for now).

Now, there is also the "hobby" of watching sports. I feel that it's more appropriate to call this a "pastime" rather than "hobby." When I think of hobbies, an activity that's at least somewhat productive usually springs to mind. So what does one get out of watching sports? For one thing, entertainment. I get that. A few hours spent with friends or family participating in a shared bonding activity. How about enjoyment? Perhaps, unless your team happens to lose--then it ceases to become all that enjoyable (the ends usually determines the quality of the means). But at the end of the day, do professional sports actually matter? Yes and no (how's that for a noncommittal answer). Although in many societies sports wield a great deal of influence and impact many economies, in the grand scheme of things they don't hold the huge amount of significance that TV channels, news stations, and commercial enterprises would have you think. Let's face it, sports are business--while you're following the home team with baited breath, you're also lining someone's pockets. Alternatively, on a personal level athletics can potentially have a large impact on one's life and development, but to me that still doesn't include the pastime of watching games.

Talk to my husband and you'll receive a somewhat different analysis. The man has lived and breathed soccer his entire life. He loves watching games only second to playing in them. To say that watching pro sports, and soccer in particular, doesn't matter would be blasphemy. But even with that kind of lifelong passion for sports, even my husband can appreciate that there are higher priorities in life than watching sports.

I'll concede that sports touch people's lives in important and meaningful ways. Even though they have the power to divide people, create animosity, and have even been blamed for violence and murder (can you imagine people murdering each other or committing suicide over a soccer or baseball game?), sports also bring people together and teach valuable life lessons. This does not mean that memorizing mountains of statistics, fawning over and glorifying pro athletes (or even college athletes for that matter), and obsessing over teams or game results is a worthwhile use of time or even positive for our society as a whole. But as long as people can keep things in perspective--a tall order for some members of society--the things that really matter will always be at the top of the list where they belong.