The tournament, itself, had everything you needed in an international sporting event, all of which building to a terrific final. Not only did it have an underdog story, but also it had one the included the U.S.A. Not only did it showcase the world's best players, but also it highlighted the best player in a game-winning goal. Not only did it have a field full of different countries, but it also had a tournament full of different cultures and styles.
Following the final medal ceremony, I immediately looked forward to the next great international tournament. The World Cup of soccer is set to kick off from South Africa in June. Unfortunately, there's a lot of Americans not aware of the anticipated excitement that will be present. If you had told me that my Sunday would revolve around when the Gold Medal Hockey game would be, I would have vulgarly laughed in your face. However, it went from zero concern to high importance on my list. Therefore, go ahead and share a healthy chuckle as I tell you that you will watch the World Cup whether or not you have ever seen a soccer game before and here's why:
The World's Best Players in the World's Best Game. Of course, part of this is a debate in itself, but lets face it: Soccer is the World's game. Baseball might be America's past time, but Soccer is the World's. Here we have the best players together in a 32-team tournament. Hockey gave us 12 countries. Here we have a tournament small enough to ensure strict competition, but large enough to give us March Madness-like hopefuls in countries like the Ivory Coast and Australia. In a comparison to the overpowering Canadian Hockey team, there are multiple powerhouses in the soccer game. Spain still is the best, even after losing to the U.S. Brazil is no stranger to the top. They have finished in 3rd place or better in half of the previous 18 tournaments. Argentina has the best player in the world, and Italy has the experience and skill to repeat their 2006 title.
U.S.A. is Good, but not Great. There is no Dream team here. On the ice, you have an overachieving team that recently beat the best team. On the soccer field, you have the same exact thing in the Men's Soccer Team. A couple weeks prior to the final, U.S. took down Canada in a thrilling upset. This questioned their underdog status. In soccer, U.S. beat Spain, the World's number one team and the overwhelming favorite to win the upcoming tournament. A few months back, soccer fans were beginning to question our underdog status. These two hypes were extremely similar. We are Americans that inspire to be the best in everything. Here are two sports that we haven't accomplished. We see glimpses of prominence, but we still carry that underdog status.
The sport has its niche, but is not popular. It's fair to assume that a majority of our nation's best athletes do not play either hockey or soccer. Christiano Ronaldo is Portugal's best athlete, Wayne Rooney is England's, Leonel Messi is Argentina's, and Kaka is Brazil's. They all play soccer. Lebron James is our nation's best athlete and he plays basketball. Unfortunately, most of our nation's youth inspire to play in the NFL or NBA and not the NHL or MLS. This is what makes U.S. an underdog on the world stage. It also makes each sport an underdog within the viewing Americans. Much like Sunday, some people chose NASCAR or a meaningless Lakers game over an international championship. In a few months, individuals will choose a PGA event or an insignificant baseball game over the World Cup.
Again, I am nearly positive that you won't believe me now, but you will watch and enjoy the World Cup. I know this because millions tuned in last night to watch a game they did not know much about. You saw passion, you saw pride, and you saw it from the World's best players. This summer's tournament will showcase this same American interest. We enjoyed cheering on the Men's Hockey team; now lets enjoy cheering on the Men's Soccer team. I know I will. Now I just have to spend the next few months convincing my boss that it is possible to get the flu coincidentally when an important game is scheduled.
