HAROLD KELLER / L’Observateur / July 17, 1999

Many years ago, when soccer became popular with children, the Reader’s Digest wrote an article about its growing popularity in America. I neverforgot the main point of the article: Kids enjoy soccer because parents don’t understand it.

The article continued, explaining that statement and telling how parents didn’t understand the sport and, therefore, couldn’t fuss their children for making a mistake. It wasn’t like baseball, basketball, football, etc. -where parents, especially fathers, think they are authorities.

With soccer, the kids have fun and the parents are only concerned fans enjoying their kids having fun, which is how it should be.

I have to admit that I never watched a complete soccer game in my life, until last Saturday. I still don’t understand the sport or it’s rules, but Igot obsessed with watching the U.S. Women’s Soccer Team defeat the teamfrom China 5-4 on penalty kicks.

Over 90,000 fans at the stadium in Pasadena, Calif., watched, as didmillions of television viewers. Ninety minutes of regular time and two15-minute extra periods resulted in a scoreless tie. (I have to admit thatit was boring most of the time, but I refused to leave the television.)That night, at a drug treatment center, I asked the group of over 60 people if they watched the game. They shouted, “Yea! It was great! U.S.A.! U.S.A.!” Ithen asked, “How many of you understood the game, or have ever watched a full soccer game?” None responded. I laughed and said, “Do you realize howstupid we are (including myself), watching and cheering a sport we know nothing about?” They laughed as I did.

“What made us get so fascinated with a women’s soccer game?” I asked.

Nobody, including myself, seemed to have the answer. We admitted wedidn’t know the rules, or any of the players. Then why so much interest?The only thing I can think of is that we are so wrapped up in wanting to be entertained and wanting to be associated with a winner, that we will latch on to anything, even if it’s a soccer game that we don’t understand.

Doesn’t make much sense, does it?

Copyright © 1998, Wick Communications, Inc.

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