I am a teacher, a husband, a bulldog afficionado, a law-abider, a mentor, an uncle, a son, a brother, a reader, a writer, a swimmer, a traveler, a teller of jokes, and a soccer fan. Of course, I put different weights on all of those titles. I made a vow to be a husband first and foremost, but I wouldn’t be a very good one if I lost my teaching job tomorrow. However, if someone came along and offered to pay me my teaching salary just to follow and write about soccer, I’d be on the next plane to Liverpool, or London, or Madrid, or Istanbul. Heck, I’d even go to Columbus, Ohio.
As a teacher, I feel it is important to set a good example for my students. As a writer, I understand the importance of practicing my craft. As a soccer fan (and such a fan that it kills me not to write football) I leave a bit to be desired. Part of that is that I am at a distinct disadvantage, being an American. While Columbus, Ohio does indeed have a professional soccer team, all American teams, including the one in LA with the movie star, fall far short in quality when compared to the rest of the world. American fans (or supporters, as they are called elsewhere) must defend their sport ceaselessly to other Americans who just don’t get it. I will not be using my blog to cry and whine about all the Americans who are missing out on the wonder of the beautiful game. Nitwits have been doing that for decades in this country, and like Prohibition, it just didn’t work. In fact, such hand-wringing does more harm than good. I don’t care if others don’t get soccer, and I have no problem being in the minority. The distinct problem facing the American soccer fan is an issue for another day, and will likely take several blog entries to cover. No, I will be using my blog to improve my support of soccer by becoming more active and reflective about the game I love. It’s entirely too easy to support a sport in only a passive way, through watching games on television and reading others’ insights on ESPN’s Soccernet or SI.com. I need to add my own spin, to think more deeply, to write, and to produce. Plus, writing a soccer blog gives me the chance to model writing habits for my students, who will also be keeping blogs for ten weeks.
There you have it. Stay tuned for my insights on the Champions League, the best player in the world (he doesn’t play for Brazil or AC Milan), the American soccer fan’s dilemma, television’s failures, books on soccer, and of course, bald goalies!
The Beautiful Game
April 16, 2008 by timbailey
I am a teacher, a husband, a bulldog afficionado, a law-abider, a mentor, an uncle, a son, a brother, a reader, a writer, a swimmer, a traveler, a teller of jokes, and a soccer fan. Of course, I put different weights on all of those titles. I made a vow to be a husband first and foremost, but I wouldn’t be a very good one if I lost my teaching job tomorrow. However, if someone came along and offered to pay me my teaching salary just to follow and write about soccer, I’d be on the next plane to Liverpool, or London, or Madrid, or Istanbul. Heck, I’d even go to Columbus, Ohio.
As a teacher, I feel it is important to set a good example for my students. As a writer, I understand the importance of practicing my craft. As a soccer fan (and such a fan that it kills me not to write football) I leave a bit to be desired. Part of that is that I am at a distinct disadvantage, being an American. While Columbus, Ohio does indeed have a professional soccer team, all American teams, including the one in LA with the movie star, fall far short in quality when compared to the rest of the world. American fans (or supporters, as they are called elsewhere) must defend their sport ceaselessly to other Americans who just don’t get it. I will not be using my blog to cry and whine about all the Americans who are missing out on the wonder of the beautiful game. Nitwits have been doing that for decades in this country, and like Prohibition, it just didn’t work. In fact, such hand-wringing does more harm than good. I don’t care if others don’t get soccer, and I have no problem being in the minority. The distinct problem facing the American soccer fan is an issue for another day, and will likely take several blog entries to cover. No, I will be using my blog to improve my support of soccer by becoming more active and reflective about the game I love. It’s entirely too easy to support a sport in only a passive way, through watching games on television and reading others’ insights on ESPN’s Soccernet or SI.com. I need to add my own spin, to think more deeply, to write, and to produce. Plus, writing a soccer blog gives me the chance to model writing habits for my students, who will also be keeping blogs for ten weeks.
There you have it. Stay tuned for my insights on the Champions League, the best player in the world (he doesn’t play for Brazil or AC Milan), the American soccer fan’s dilemma, television’s failures, books on soccer, and of course, bald goalies!
