How much are you prepared to watch?
I still look back fondly to WC 2002. Except for two halves of relatively meaningless games (don't tell me you were fevering for S Africa-Slovenia or Japan-Tunisia), I think I saw the entire thing. Since then, I have faced the reality that it is tough to watch games in Italy (where I spend my summers), since RAI often has not had all the rights to games. But honestly, it has been family responsibilities that make me feel guilty about saying to my wife: "It's good to be in Italy. Now, we can't leave the house for the next month."
Instead, I find myself almost cursing the fact that there is non-stop soccer every night for 12 relentless days before the first break. My wife has scheduled a dinner out on the night of Germany-Holland. Clearly, 5 years of marriage have not made everything about my priorities clear.
Looking at the matches, I think I will be watching 17 of the opening round games, and snippets of the rest. 10 years ago, I would not have imagined that such self-denial would be humanly possible for me.
How dedicated are the rest of your viewing habits going to be?
posted by Anonymous @ 6:16 PM
7 Comments:
I'll be at work during the weekday matches here. Will most likely be listening as much as I can to the espn3 commentary. We'll see how weekends go.
That's the luxury of living here in the US for the Euros TRD. The time-zone means that you can DVR the early game, and nip out in the afternoon to a bar that's showing the evening game, leaving much of the afternoon and evenings free to consort with family.
Bob and I have both been in your situation when visiting our folks in the summer around Euros and the WC and it is a poser, how much time you spend on the sofa watching everything until you're goggle-eyed. But really, if you're going to be in Italy, you're asking the wrong question. I've been there during a tournament when the Italians have been bounced out early as I believe they will be this time. It was a real blow back then. Do you think things have changed and the nation will get over the pain quickly this time?
The Italians are the ultimate fair-weather fans when it comes to their nazionale. As soon as things go badly, they will turn on their team. Plus, they are not terrific soccer fans in general. Your average Danish 'fan' can name 6-7 starters per team. Your average Italian fan knows that Italy, Spain, Ireland, and some other team qualified, but that's about it. Unless you are in a touristy place where there will be foreigners, the bars are not going to be packed for any games other than Italy's and in fact, I remember searching for an Argentina-Germany WC quarterfinal match 6 years ago, and noone (meaning the barristas and the old men who sit around the square) in town knew it was even going on.
It is a dilemma, Red Devil. When I was still teaching - as UWS will be through 'til June 22 - it was a real pickle. One of the advantages of the academic schedule, though, is that I can virtually clean the slate for June in even numbered years. I don't have the commitments that you other lads have these days, but when I did, I just had to say that I was going to have to go missing for three our four weeks. So, the bottom line is that I'm prepared to watch every match - bar the ones that are played simultaneously in the third round of group matches. And I'll be blogging live here on the LOB. I've just arrived at Chez Nocito for the opening weekend and Thomas and I are holed up watching the Premiership Goals of the Season program and waiting for the preliminaries to start. Way hay!
Interesting point there. When Gooner and I vacationed in Italy on the Adriatic coast near Rimini as kids with our family, we had the advantage of staying in a hotel that appealed to a wide range of European tourists. So I have fond memories of watching, for example, the Euros in 1976 that culminated in the classic Germany v. Czechoslovakia final alongside a basement den filled to the brim with a panoply of fans from across the continent.
There's nothing better than watching a match in an international crowd. There are the two groups of fans fevering with every close shot and foul, while the rest are just there to have a good time, which only makes the non-impartial fans even more agitated, since they are dying inside while everyone else is having a good time. I will be at a resort after the 24th myself, and I will make it clear to Chiara that game nights she will be widowed in the hotel room.
Is Thomas your brother? Where are you guys?
Thomas is my pal Dave (United We Stand)'s oldest of three sons (Jon, Matt and Thomas). Dave is a high school friend from England who now teaches 8th grade math in the Albany area.
Here are the other characters on the blog:
* Gooner71 - my older brother Steve (in DC); supports Arsenal and DC Utd.
* AZ Kicker - grade school friend Steve (now in Arizona); supports Liverpool
* ManUtd Rules - high school friend David (now in Texas)
* West Ham Rising - high school friend John (now in DC)
* Simon Burke - an English friend of my brother's in DC; supports Arsenal
* Someone Said - A Fredonia alum Ed working at Ohio State in Columbus; supports Everton, Celtic and Columbus Crew
* Chelskilad - Dave's older brother Tony still living in the UK
* Bivalve - high school friend Betsy (now in Rhode Island)
* Blubber Boy - high school friend Greg who supports Ipswich (now in the Twin Cities)
* Lost-mate - high school friend Todd (now in Conn.)
* Yellows - high school friend Richard who supports Norwich (now in PA)
* Gatorbob - my Gainesville alterego when I established the blog in 2006 before I came to Fredonia
Hope that helps.
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