soccer

My dad likes to say “Europeans left Europe to come to the new world just so they could play better sports”. While this is a historically accurate statement, it doesn’t apply to the World Cup because the World Cup is awesome. It’s the apex predator of the best on best sporting world, and while I prefer to watch the Olympics, I will watch the World Cup no matter when it’s on and no matter who is playing – I even ran a pool this summer. So obviously I am very excited that my country will be hosting the Women’s edition next year; doubly so that my provincial town will be hosting some very important games. So when I found myself to be in the position to watch the draw I had to live blog it – since I apparently like these now.

Confession #1: I hate soccer. In my opinion (obviously) it’s a simplistic sport that relies on over-complicating itself in a way that stifles true talent. In doing this, soccer appeals to both the masses with simplistic rules and the elite with pointless complications that go over the collective heads of the masses. It’s a delicate dance for a game that doesn’t trust itself to be interesting on it’s own merit. This leads to endless circular tactics and simulation to gain the smallest advantage. Imagine if the sporting body allowed it’s true talents to run rather than holding them back with rules designed for defense. Offsides, kicking the ball back to the keeper, being rewarded for kicking the ball sideways out of the box rather than back all keep the best soccer players from being the best they can be. Yes, they’ll still find a way to entertain and impress, but just imagine if they weren’t being held back in a conservative effort to keep the game as it once was.

Your One Stop Stalk

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Women’s World Cup Draw – Live Diary

Vennesday XII – FIFA