World Cup Mania

I grew up playing football (soccer) as a kid and loved running around the field and chasing the ball (ok, I also loved the post game snack and knew whose mom brought the best stuff!). During football season, my Saturday mornings were spent at the fields and my parents ran from game to game as they tried to get glimpes of both mine and my sister's games. However, like many kids, I lost interest at a certain age and moved on to other sports and activities. With almost no coverage in the US media, I certaintly did follow football at the professional level. Instead, I enjoyed attending the occassional Red's game and doing my homework while watching American football on Sunday afternoon. In Europe, things are completely different. As the one main sport, football is the heart and soul of Europe. Parks and backyards are filled with football nets instead of basketball hoops. Young kids can discuss the defense of their favorite football team in depth. So, as you can imagine, the World Cup is more than popular. Country flags can be seen hanging from balconies and stores are jammed with jerseys. Offices have brackets similar to those popular in the U.S. for the NCAA basketball tournament. Jignesh's company even installed a big screen tv in the lunch lounge for the event! Last night, Switzerland defeated World Cup favorite Spain in a shocking upset. The minute the whistle blew, the city became completely crazy. I am convinced people were just driving around the streets so they could honk their horns (which is illegal except in the case of emergency) and wave the Swiss flag. People were yelling in the streets and shouting from balconies. And, guess what? I love it! I probably will never be able to discuss a team's defense or name more than 10 players but I have come to respect the athleticity of the players and the intensity of the game. I think it is safe to say that I am a football fan. Go Switzerland! Go USA!

Au Revoir.