Every Four Years....GO USA!!!

      There are few things in life that we as a society are not forced to consume, be exposed to, or generally jammed down our throats. Politics being one of the main offenders, our consumer culture and object of the ever present "15 Minutes of Fame." In our country Baseball lasts April to October (though I can't complain about that one), NBA from end of October until June, the NHL October through at least April, and the dreaded NFL (the one I actually despise) from August to January. I am not sure about NASCAR or Golf, but it seems they are on almost every weekend. Every four years we have the winter Olympics, the summer Olympics, the America's Cup, and the World Cup. For many of us, those moments are magical.
      In the Olympics, you have mostly amateur athletes who have dedicated their lives to a sport they will received little glory in, after the competition is over. It is a moment for America to stand with pride behind these individuals as they fight on in the name of honor for our country, the most important if only accolade they will receive. The America's Cup an event for rich people, attractive mostly to the few who understand the excitement, concepts, and intensity of sailboat racing. But the World Cup. The World Cup is the WORLDS foremost sporting event. Revered by soccer loving nations everywhere. Now if you are a soccer loving American, it is easy to follow your teams, leagues and favorite players with minimal effort, but you still have to make an effort. It is not like you can turn on Fox, NBC, ABC or even ESPN on a Sunday morning and see the La Liga or the Bundesliga. The MLS might be featured on your local station,  but if you live in Chicago and want to see the Seattle Sounders play LA Galaxy, you have to make an effort to make that happen. So, I am going to implore two simple things of you, my fellow Americans.
       First and foremost, these games are on ESPN, ESPN2, they are available channels on almost every television set in every bar in America. Like almost every other sporting fan in this nation, soccer fans love to watch their game with a cold beer in hand. Did I mention this only happens every four years?? So please just give us one television set with volume in your humble establishment. If our crowd outnumbers the space, give us two television sets and we will reward you in the form of payment for excessive beer drinking and an atmosphere of merriment, especially if our team is winning. Please, have mercy and patience for all of our cheers and shouts of,  "OOOHHHS!", "AHHHHHS!", "OOOOMMMMGGGS!" or "YYYEYEEEAAAHHH" and in general any loud noises we make because, this is the World Cup! We patiently wait through every NFL season listening to the same things. Please do not act offended or scared because we are making loud noises...This has been pent up for four years! You can catch the golf scores later, we can turn it to the baseball game at halftime so you get the highlights. This only happens every 4 years!!
        The second and final thing is to remember that we are Americans and unfortunately more partisan and nasty than ever. We have team and a pretty decent one this year. We are the nation of underdogs in this sport. The US loves an underdog, lets get behind these boys. They are unlike most professional athletes we are used to seeing. They don't make millions, very few have endorsement deals and the ones that do are not as lucrative as other sports or soccer players form around the world. These guys play for love of the sport and are representing our great country. This is the month that we show our appreciation for the great U.S.A! Lets get behind our boys!
          So please, when you are sitting there bashing soccer, just remember this is our one month out of four years. Please have pity on our lot as we embark on the one of the greatest months in our sporting repertoire. When you get "scared" by our random shouts of ecstasy or despair, just remember what it feels like when the Packers win or lose, or your emotional investment in the Chicago Blackhawks. Most of all, give our boys a shot. They play today at 5pm central standard time. They have worked hard and deserve for everyone to stop for a second and check them out. They play Ghana the team that knocked them out of the tournament 4 years ago. The game was ugly, brutal and the boys played their hearts out. Most importantly it is an opportunity for us citizens to get behind a team that can unite us again, if only for 90 minutes. No US politics in soccer. We are one country, one team! Go U.S.A!!!!!