Sports

I'm sitting here keeping one eye Game 3 of the World Series. For those who haven't been paying attention, calling the Series so far a mismatch would be an understatement. The Sox have been all over the Rockies, and it's been eye opening to see the disparity--particularly in Game 1 when Beckett took the mound against Francis. Watching the two was like watching a man against a boy. Beckett was far superior and the 13 - 1 result was a fair reflection of the (no) contest.

Regardless, as a Denver resident, it has been an absolute thrill to watch the Rockies over the last month and a half. I've lived hear for about eight years now, and no one has ever talked about the Rockies going to the World Series. It just wasn't something within the realm of possibility, so why bother discussing it? This year didn't seem to be any different. I generally am only a loose follower of MLB and the Rockies. I watched the Rocks struggle through the early part of the season and recognized a team that looked like many of the previous iterations. But, I kept checking the paper every day and saw them hanging around .500 and as we started talking about the wild card and games out, it was simply refreshing to even be able to have those conversations. I figured that was about as good as it got for Denver and the Rockies. Then, the improbable September run started, and it was just a wild ride. I didn't go to any games, so I didn't get to experience the spirit of the ballpark, but it was enjoyable enough for me to allow the newspaper to allow me my voyeur's view of the team. It seemed that the whole city has just been thrilled that baseball is even something to be discussed in late September. Then the Rocks made the play-in game and won in such dramatic fashion. Then they swept the Phillies and the D-backs. It all happened so fast that Denver hadn't been able to formulate the thought the Rocks could go to the Series before the Rocks had actually qualified. The Series so far has been completely disappointing, but the journey to get here has felt like a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Just enjoyable.

Funny I can type so many words about the Rockies and baseball when, if I'm being honest, I must confess that as a general rule neither the sport nor the team interest me all that much. Yes, I am a fan of sports in general, but baseball is pretty far down the pecking order.

So, while I'm here with the computer in front of me, allow me to turn my thoughts to the sport that, surprisingly, has captured the buld of my interest over the last two years or so...soccer.

I served as a missionary for the LDS Church in the England London South Mission from 1993 - 1995. It was a glorious experience for a lot of reasons--most of those reasons related to things of eternal importance, which I hope to discuss more in this space at another time. But, as to a terrestrial reason as to why my mission was glorious is that it was my first exposure to professional soccer. Not that I spent time as a fan--indeed I never went to a game or even watched it on TV. But since the sport was so ubiquitous you couldn't help but develop some small affinity for it. For some reason I latched onto the Arsenal Football Club. When people would ask me who I "supported," I would tell them Arsenal. Mostly because they were a London club, and I liked the name. Ian Wright played for them at the time, and he is the only player whose name I knew.

I returned home from my mission in the fall of 1995 and spent my sports time on basketball, football and baseball, in that order. Soccer was an afterthought, and not a very prevalent one, at that. However, as the years passed and corporations started playing a larger and larger role in American sports and as athletes continuosly made the news for so many wrong reasons, I became more and more disenchanted with the American sports scene. I don't suppose I'll ever stop paying attention to American sports altogether, but I have become tired of how money is the driving factor for everything--from player movement, to timing of games, and especially to atmosphere. Many others have pointed this out in many places, but in general it seems the "common" fan is being priced out in the American sports landscape. At some point that becomes a deterrent. I don't know when, but I feel like I have reached that point. The game is not a game, it's a production. I suppose it was inevitable given the standard of living and amount of discretionary spending in this country, but it's a deterrent to me. So, I suppose subconsciously I started casting about for other sources to sate my sports jones. Enter the beautiful game. I really started to get interested in 2004 when I discovered ESPN2 televised a few select games from the UEFA Champions' League. I watched a few of those games and saw FC Porto defeat AS Monaco to win the CL that year. Given the ease of following leagues anywhere in the world, thanks to the internet, I started taking notice of the English Premier League in general, and Arsenal in particular. I paid token attention during the 04-05 season, and a bit more in 05-06, but I must say that I was an avid follower in 06-07, and that has continued this season.

I recognize that money is also corrupting the European soccer leagues and that corporations are playing a larger and larger role. The one thing I definitely appreciate though is that the fans still seem to hold their proper place. Fans attend the games and create the atmosphere at the games--rather than jumbotrons and piped in music. It seems more real--is that dumb? Perhaps part of it is also the fact that the sport isn't shoved down my throat--as American sports are. If I want to be a fan of soccer I have to work for it, and I enjoy that. While I hope soccer does become more generally accepted here in the US, I don't desire for it to become mainstream.

So, why do I take the time to post this? I have no idea. It's just been on my mind for a while. Why would I start following soccer and even begin playing it? (As a sidenote, I have played soccer probably 12 times in the last two months, and basketball maybe once. I have always been an avid basketball player--with the need to play at least once a week. Soccer has rendered me less interested in playing hoops, and I never saw that coming.) I guess I wanted to remember this phase of my life and record my voice as one who has become disenchanted with the American sports landscape and the reasons for that. We'll see how things progress. Right now, I love following soccer--the EPL in particular. Arsenal plays at Liverpool tomorrow. A huge game, and my DVR is set!