La Quiniela, La pasión, and the clásico

Hey sports fans,

I'm here to remind you of two things: 1. the spanish soccer (football) league is not only the best in the world but also the best in europe. 2. the world cup starts in less than two months in South Africa. 3. Barcelona is one of the greatest football teams in the world (even though I refuse to be a "chaquetero" (or coatturner, someone who switches affiliations, ill never stop liking real madrid).

I come from a country where most kids grow up wanting to be like terrell owens or Brian Urlaucher. After living in Europe for a reasonable amount of time, I can tell you that there is a reason that soccer aka football is the most popular sport in the world. Every person has a favourite club team. A favourite national player. The 10 yr old kids I teach have memorized the national team roster of "la seleccion espanola". How many 9 yr olds in the USA know who Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey, and Tim Howard are? Mention the names Villa, Casillas or Iniesta and the likely question you'll get from a little kid is, "Is he okay", "He's not hurt, is he?", "Did he score this weekend?". Spaniards, Brits, Italians, Germans, Dutch, even Turkish people take time every Sunday to watch their country's weekly league competition. In Spain, you can play the legal state gambling game called the "quiniela" every week. You fill out a card where you predict each game's result by putting a "1" for a home win, "2" for an away win or "X" for a draw. If you predict more than 10 of the 15 correctly, you are entitled to a payout. You can check how your predictions have fared by walking into a cafeteria, bar, or any storefront/ restaurant, and then proceed to look for the closest television. More likely than not, you'll see an "abuelo" (grandfather) next to a punk kid watching the wrapup for that week's jornada (weekend timetable).

So why isnt soccer, a game called the world's most popular sport,more popular in the world's leading country? The USA has some of the best athletes in the world. Why don't more want to play soccer? I don't know the answers. I do know that The U.S.'s new league, the MLS (Major League soccer) has become a legitimate league and each year has attracted more star players but still lacks the passion of the bigger European leagues. It bores many champion league (europe's super cup) fans not to mention the followers of la liga (in Spain) and the Premier League (in England). However, the U.S. national team surprised many people this past summer with a big win over spain (the #1 team in the world) followed by a fantastic effort against Brasil (a top soccer country) in the Confederations Cup), a warmup tournament to the World cup in South Africa.

If you can jive and dish about soccer in this world, you can strike up a conversation with virtually anyone. Language barries and issues aside, it's a support that unites millions of strangers. There are political implications surroudning matches in Northern Ireland, Rwanda, and Turkey. There are scandals, players, and incredible stadiums that people become mad about (enthusiastic and angry). In this sport, there are no helmets, no bats, and no hoops. You have your feet, your skills, and a goal to shoot the ball into. It's a beautiful game that isn't expensive to play. Maybe it's not as posh as rugby, golf, tennis, or polo but it's easy to teach and fun to learn.

Barcelona v. Real Madrid. El clásico. Los galacticos v. los catalanes. This rivalry is one of the greatest in the history of sports. Twice a year, the two biggest cities square off in a match with the best players in the world. Marriages and friends are broken for at least a day. Citizens within the same country hate each other. Two teams play as hard as they can against each other, usually to determine the lead in the league. It's bragging rights. This is part of the culture. If you don't have interest in the game, you don't understand your country. Ask a Spaniard if he or she has ever seen the world's biggest game (the super bowl), and they'd say "hell, no". "I don't even understand "futbol americano".", is what a local would tell you. Ask them to recite the last 10 results of el clásico and you'll get the winners of each game plus the scores. A country with soccer specific daily newspapers, televised games every day, and a culture who currently has the numnber 1 national team in the world, and "futbolistas" who make way more than NFL players only have to worry about one thing, "Eres del Madrid o del Barca?". Are you a Madrid or Barcelona Supporter?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S58rstMhKK8