Soccer, it's hard for us as Americans to grasp. Like many of you, I've been caught up in the World Cup drinking festivities for the past fews weeks and I must admit, it has been enjoyable. But our team is out of the tourney, David Stern put a hit out on Neymar and this Sunday we will all root for Messi against our sworn historical enemy, the Germans. The world community is teaching us a lesson in humility and, predictably, we're having trouble processing it. I'm as conflicted as you are. Is soccer tight? Maybe it's the pervasiveness of Twitter or the ability to stream games online or the fact that I've been hitting the FIFA on PS4 with the bros, but I'm inclined to think that maybe, yeah, soccer is tight. It might be! Let's explore further before someone goes completely overboard and buys a Man City jersey.
Angelo Spagnolo is a writer living in Portland, Oregon. Read his blog here and follow him on Twitter here.
1. soccertightlead
2. gambling
3. childhood
Painful Childhood Memories
Even if you're not still harboring resentment against soccer for that embarrassing time you didn't know what to do during a corner kick and you dribbled the ball in front of a bunch of confused parents, the fact remains that many of us Americans did infact play soccer in our youth, and our experiences, positive or humiliating, color our perception of the sport as we age. Were you a star 10-year-old forward who scored all the goals? You probably view soccer favorably. Did you quit as soon as possible because you realized the earliest of grade school HJs were going to football players? High fucking five.
Advantage: Soccer is not tight.