Soccer…anyone?

January 31. 2008 by Keegan Hall.

I’ll admit it…I love sports. A lot. My wife can attest to this as virtually all of my tv time is spent consuming various sporting events. Although basketball is by far my favorite, I must say soccer is second. Yep, soccer. Not football or baseball. Soccer.

Soccer is by far the most popular sport in the world but, interestingly enough, the vast majority of Americans could care less. I cannot figure out why there is such apathy towards this amazing sport. Have most Americans not seen a pro soccer match? I’m not talking about the MLS (although the league is getting better every year). I’m referring to a pro match in Europe. The game is absolutely incredible! European soccer combines pure athleticism with uncanny finesse unlike any other sport in the world. These athletes are truly gifted.

While in college I had the opportunity to study abroad in Rome, Italy. Wanting to experience all that is Italian, I made my way to a Roma soccer match. Wow! That’s all it took. I was hooked and went back each weekend for more!

Sure, there are many dedicated sports fans here in the USA but the commitment of these fans pale in comparison to those in Europe. No contest. These Italian soccer fan would die for their team- literally. In fact, one of the matches I attend, Roma vs Juventus, I almost died. Well, I would have if the Juve fans had found out my allegiance to the Roma squad.

This was one of the biggest matches of the year and it was nearly impossible to get a ticket. Quickly running out of options, I had no choice but to purchase tickets from a scalper. This weaselly Italian assured me these seats were on the Roma side of the field. Of course, me being the naive American, I believed him. I went strolling in to the arena covered from head to toe in Roma apparel. When I got to the gate the ticket taker took once look at my seat location and replied “I can’t let you go in there dressed like that.” What? What’s the big deal? Apparently it was a big deal.

Luckily had an impartial jacket with me. I quickly threw the jacket on and zipped it up as high as a could. If you looked closely you could still see a glimmer of “Roma red” inside my collar. I literally had to hold my collar tightly closed for the entire game.

But holding my collar shut wasn’t the most difficult part- it was dodging the various debris that was flying through the air. The hatred between these two teams actually fuel fans to throw items (water bottles, coins, rocks, etc) and each other. Although I was riveted to the match, I had no choice but to keep one eye fixed on permantant look out.

Needless to say, this was quite an experience that left an everlasting impression on me. Soccer embodies competition in its purest form. This competition is not only felt by each player but also personified by each fan. Soccer is simply amazing and it’s about time that more sports fans in American take notice.

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