An Outside View Soccer fever: Will it last?

Have you caught soccer fever yet? If you have, take a couple of aspirin, drink lots of liquids, get plenty of rest, and it will pass. If the symptoms persist more than a couple of weeks, call a doctor. In case you haven’t heard, the Center for Disease Control in Atlanta has issued a warning about a possible epidemic. It is called soccer fever or simply The Fever for short. It is a common malady that occurs every few years but the good news is it isn’t fatal. Breakouts of the The Fever usually occur in regular intervals sort of like the locusts. And just like the locusts, The Fever can be annoying for awhile but it will pass with little or no residual effects. Still, medical researchers are looking for an immunization that will protect us when there is a threat of a new breakout. The worse thing about The Fever is listening to all of the doomsayers. They are the ones who say that this year represents a major breakthrough for soccer. They predict that when our kids grow up soccer will be as popular if not MORE popular than baseball. When I lay myself down to sleep at night, I pray, to God in Heaven, “Please let them be wrong and forgive them for their blasphemy against the sacred game that you have blessed us Americans with ……And if your loyal servant Abner Doubleday is up there with you, tell him we won’t let it happen.” Ironically, The Fever seems to coincide with a good showing by the U.S. World Cup soccer team. But things soon return to normal and it isn’t long until we focus our attentions on the baseball pennant races, the preseason football forecasts, or wondering if Jeff Gordon will ever win another NASCAR race. I am one of the fortunate ones. I have no explanation for my good fortune except for good living, but The Fever missed me. There was no staying up until 2 a.m. to see who America would be playing in the next round and no going in late to work so I could watch the game, excuse me I meant to say the match, against Germany at 7:30 in the morning. No trying to figure out the logic of an off sides call. Before you accuse me of being anti-American, let me say that my being spared The Fever has nothing to do with any lack of national pride on my part. It has everything to do with that boring game they play. Let’s set the record straight. I am very proud of our young Americans who made their best World Cup showing in 72 years. They worked hard and deserve credit for their achievements. Then again, I would be proud of an American chess team that did well in international competition. That doesn’t mean that I find chess very exciting. Soccer enthusiasts point to the fact that more kids play soccer than any other single sport and that is an undeniable truth. But they then jump to the not so logical conclusion that this will automatically translate into greater interest in soccer when they become adults. They envision stadiums filled with avid soccer fans like you now see in South America or Europe. I heard all of this rhetoric when my son played soccer when he was young. So far their predictions haven’t materialized. Soccer is not a bad game. In fact, it is a great game for kids. I readily admit that. It has the key ingredients to attract youngsters. It is played outdoors so they get lots of fresh air. They get to run a lot so they get plenty of exercise which is no doubt good for them. It is relatively inexpensive to play which is good news for the parents’ pocketbooks. The field is big so they are far enough from the coaches that they can pretend not to hear the yelling from the sidelines and just play on. And they don’t have to remember a bunch of complicated rules. The only thing they need to know is to kick the ball. But most importantly, it gives kids something to do until baseball season. The bottom line is kids have fun playing soccer and that’s what it is all about. But like stomping in mud puddles, shooting a slingshot at birds, catching lightning bugs, and climbing trees, the kids outgrow it. Most stick with our more traditional sports. Kids love to romp and stomp in the open field. That doesn’t mean they love the sport. Little Johnny is eight-years old and plays soccer. Ask him to name his favorite MLS player and you will get a blank look. Ask him to name just one MLS team and he will smile sheepishly. But ask him to name a major league baseball team or tell us his favorite baseball player and watch him light up. The real reason that soccer will have trouble catching on with our kids is that we dads haven’t bought into the game. Oh sure, we’ll go watch the little tikes run up and down the field and cheer when Little Johnny scores a goal but our hearts just aren’t in it. We grew up with baseball, football, and basketball. We understand those games and are more than happy playing with our sons. Seeing a father and son in the front yard tossing a baseball is not an uncommon sight. Most houses that have kids have a basketball goal and we dads don’t mind a little game of one-on-one with Junior. Dad will even get out with the neighborhood kids and play a game of touch football. But when was the last time you saw Dad out going against Little Johnny in a friendly soccer match? The Little Johnny’s out there want to be just like Dad – good or bad – which is a bad omen for soccer. Will researchers ever find a cure for The Fever? Probably not. But then no one will ever be able to explain to me the rationale behind an off sides call.