My latest column for the National Sports Journalism Center at Indiana University is about why I am more excited to watch the U.S. Open than the World Cup.
*******
The World Cup and the U.S. Open both start on Thursday. Guess which event I am more excited to watch?
As a child of the late ‘60s and ‘70s, soccer wasn’t on my TV menu during my formative years as a sports fan. Instead, I have vivid memories of Johnny Miller’s final round 63 to win the 1973 U.S. Open at Oakmont. The United States Golf Association reacted with a ridiculously hard course set-up the following year that led to the “Massacre at Winged Foot.” From that point, I became addicted to watching the world’s best golfers be tormented in the Open.
So while the rest of the world will be hyped up for the first World Cup matches from Brazil Thursday, I will settle in for some golf at Pinehurst. In fact, while I am channel-flipping over the weekend, I am more likely to tune into my beloved White Sox than a World Cup game.
By no means is this a put-down of the World Cup. I will be watching more matches than ever before. I’m curious at seeing the spectacle from Brazil.
But it won’t necessarily be appointment viewing for me. Not like the U.S. Open. I already have informed my father-in-law that I will be late for his annual Father’s Day barbeque Sunday because I want to watch the entire final round.
The problem with soccer for me, and others of my generation, is that we didn’t grow up with the sport. I’m a sure if I was born in England, I would have been a huge soccer fan. I definitely would have an encyclopedic recall of World Cup history.
However, when I was a kid, I had no idea there was a World Cup. The only world that meant anything was the World Series. Who was the winning pitcher for Game 7 of the 1971 World Series when Pittsburgh beat Baltimore? That’s easy: Steve Blass. Meanwhile, the extent of my knowledge of soccer history doesn’t go much beyond Pele.
I really have tried to get more into soccer through the years, especially recently. I think it is great that the sport, at least the international version, is gaining a foothold in the United States.
In fact, with NBC and NBCSN ramping up coverage of the Premier League this year, I thought this was my opportunity to really get into soccer. I wanted to jump on the bandwagon. I finally figured out what had been missing for me: I needed a connection to a team. I had to have a rooting interest.
I didn’t want to do the conventional thing and root for Manchester United. That would be too much like choosing the Yankees to be my team in baseball. Ultimately, I selected Tottenham. They seemed like a good next level team and Tottenham sounds so very British.
I actually attempted to watch a few of their matches. But like everything else these days, it all comes down to a matter of time, and not enough of it. Between watching all of my core sports, I just couldn’t squeeze in another one. Sorry, Tottenham.
Again, I’m not saying soccer isn’t interesting. Listen, I understand for many soccer fans, baseball and golf can be duller than spending an afternoon trying to renew your license in a department of motor vehicles facility.
But for me, and others, those sports are ingrained in our DNA. The connections run deep and they do last a lifetime. More than 50 years of being a diehard White Sox fan and frustrated golfer in my case.
The difference can be seen in my teenage boys. They are excited about the World Cup. They are 24/7 viewers of ESPN, and as a result, they have been sucked in by the network’s avalanche of hype for the event. The World Cup now is part of their formative years as sports fans.
That bodes well for soccer in the future. Soccer needs the younger generation far more than mine.
As for me, I anticipate I will watch the World Cup much more than ever before. The ESPN hype has seduced me, too. Perhaps I might even get caught up in some of the stories of the players and countries, and that will pull me in even more.
But I also know what ranks on my sporting agenda. This week, I will be more into watching the guys chase the little ball in Pinehurst than the big ball in Brazil.
What complete and absolute nonsense from you Ed. I’m 57-years-old and continue to be amazed by the lack of sports sophistication from media members who most likely never looked through a face mask in their lives. The majority of men I know who DID play American tackle football really appreciate the “beautiful game” for what it is — maximum athletic performance combined with great teamwork, defense and strategy. Not too mention the unbelievable fan interaction and passion at stadiums across the USA and the world. Seriously, you needed a “rooting interest” to appreciate the game? You can’t watch Real Madrid against Chelsea without a rooting interest? And you cover sports? I’m a golf fan as well but hey, enjoy watching pasty, dorky Rory in his pink pants walk the fairway shaking his head after he shanks into the “gallery.” Me? I’ll be watching every match I can from Brazil with sooooo much at stake. I never played soccer in my youth growing up in the sixties and seventies (I played all the team sports I could but mostly tackle football going into junior college in southern California) but I knew a great TEAM sport when I saw it, combining all the elements of human sports drama, teamwork and athleticism. Go USA and thanks to ESPN, Fox, NBC and BeIn for outstanding coverage. Now go sip on some lemonade Ed and enjoy Phil’s 3 wood out of the rough (how fascinating!) and leave the world’s most popular sport to those who understand what great sports looks like. Thanks for letting me vent.