I watched more soccer in the last three weeks than I ever expected to watch in my entire lifetime. I started to catch on to the game a little bit, but something else came along and commanded my attention. I think it was reruns of Celebrity Family Feud. That’s too bad because when you get to be my age, all the shows on public television tell you that if you want to live longer, you gotta find new interests and hobbies in your life. Well, I tried, but soccer wasn’t working. But even though I gave up on watching the actual games, I was amazed to see the huge crowds from all over the world who had come to the USA to watch and be a part of the World Cup Championship soccer competition. Fans flocked to major cities throughout the United States during five weeks of playoffs and spent billions of dollars. From my observations, I can tell you that the rest of the world loves soccer better than a dog loves digging. These folks also love having a big time at the games, which they call matches. They sing and carry-on and take their shirts off, (just the men) and holler the whole time. It sounds like the Mormon Tabernacle Choir hooked up with the roller derby crowd and MMA fanatics and all went to see a hockey game together. But all these rambunctious people seemed to get along just fine, and honestly, it was more entertaining to me to watch them than the game, I mean the match.
Soccer is catching on more and more, and most of the schools and city recreation departments now have soccer leagues and programs. Long, long ago, my late, great friend Mr. Ricky Gilmer and I volunteered to coach a little league soccer team for the Rec. Department. Nobody knew much about soccer then, especially us coaches, but we didn’t let those little 7-and 8-year-old boys know that. A coach on another team called it “Herd Ball” because when those boys heard the whistle and saw that ball being kicked around, they all took off like a pack of wild dogs after a rabbit. We didn’t worry too much about rules or scores. Those young fellas were proud of their team t-shirts and got to run wide open for about an hour, and they loved it. Ricky and I took turns running after them up and down the field, and I laughed ‘til I thought my ribs would crack. Believe it or not, I still have some of those now “grown-up” little soccer players come up to me in Walmart or somewhere else and call me coach. It was fun, and I enjoyed it. But I didn’t teach them much about soccer, and I haven’t learned much since.
What I did learn in the past few weeks about soccer is the power and influence it holds over millions of people all over the world. Thousands and thousands of those fans visited the United States during the five weeks of games played here. Remarkably, the crowds were enchanted with our country and all the sights, sounds, and experiences that they discovered. Actually, what they discovered was America, and they loved it. They discovered everything from simple ranch dressing to jumbo resealable bags of Cheetos and BIG GULP drinks at Buc-ee’s, to Wings & Things, Country & Western music, the Olive Garden, the majesty of the Grand Canyon, and the spirit of towns like New Orleans, New York City, Dallas, Miami and Atlanta. They also took part in the glory of our national celebration of 250 years of democracy and freedom. Ironically, while all these folks were having a great time, many of those who actually live here could do nothing but criticize and complain about everything American. Unbelievably, according to recent polls, the number of people who call this country home but say they are no longer proud of it has reached its highest percentage ever. That is sad and shameful and defies understanding. As the World Cup Championship drew to a close, the startling surprise for many of us was not who won the international soccer competition. The biggest and best surprise was the new-found respect and fondness for the USA that tens of thousands of visitors took home with them. That is a championship souvenir for them and one of the best trophies we could ever have. What else can you say. God Bless America. Be proud of it!
