Hey America, there’s a reason why the World Cup is popular

I’m not much of a soccer fan — normally.

If you had asked me a few weeks ago what a… I’m not much of a soccer fan — normally.

If you had asked me a few weeks ago what a cross inside the box was, I might have been able to tell you, but only because I’m a sports editor. I didn’t really know why the movie “Bend It Like Beckham” was titled exactly that, and the only soccer team outside the Pittsburgh Riverhounds I could name for you was the Manchester United.

That all changed, though.

With the start of the FIFA 2006 World Cup a few weeks ago, I became a soccer fan. The first game I watched happened to be Germany vs. Poland in the opening round of group play. I found out that the Germans absolutely despise the Polish both on and off the field, and that the cheering in soccer is unlike any other cheering and heckling in American sports.

Soccer fans, or hooligans as they’re more regularly referred to as, hold nothing back. As opposed to the monotonous “U.S.A! U.S.A!” screamed by the outnumbered American fans in Germany, where the World Cup competition is being held, soccer fans outside America degrade other teams and countries without shame and attack those they’re playing without reserve.

The world enthusiasm for soccer doesn’t stop with words, either. Just before the Germany-Poland game, more than 120 hooligans were arrested by German police for getting a little too into the sport and causing violence.

Remember those crazy soccer hooligans from “Eurotrip?” Yeah, they’re real.

And it’s easy to understand why the fans get so into soccer. It’s actually fun to watch. During the broadcasts by ESPN and ABC, there are no commercial breaks throughout the 45-minute halves. From the moment the game starts, it’s straight action until halftime.

Also, the plays are pretty cool. A goalie boots the ball 60 yards in the air to place it perfectly on his midfielder’s chest. The player corrals the ball, dribbles through three defenders down the sideline and, when he’s almost out of running room, crosses the ball into the box, bending it so it lands squarely atop the head of his teammate attacker who nods it past a diving goaltender.

One-nil.

Goals are rare, so they’re cause for a big celebration after scoring.

It’s not just the action that had me captivated, though. It’s the players as well. Some of them only go by one name, such as Brazil’s Ronaldo and teammate Ronaldinho.

Watching Ronaldinho, the world’s best player, is that much better. The Brazilian can dribble through three defenders, move the ball up and down the field with ease, place perfect passes and set his attackers up beautifully.

Oh, and Beckham can bend it pretty far.

But the best part of watching Ronaldinho is that he does all of the above with a smile on his face. He never gets upset, yells at the refs or calls out his coach or fellow teammates. He just simply loves the game of soccer.

This is the case with every other player out on the field in the month-long competition that crowns the world’s best. The players love it, the fans love it and most importantly, the countries love it. Hey, the Ivory Coast stopped a civil war to cheer their soccer team.

The World Cup is a welcome break from American sports. After it’s over, I’ll go back to watching my favorites religiously; once every four years, though, America needs the World Cup to see the passion the players and fans have for a game.

Too often, Americans see Terrell Owens causing trouble in the locker room. We see the off-the-field scandals that our heroes on the field of play get involved with, and it gives us a sour taste for professional athletes who we think are paid too much in the first place.

Watching the World Cup brings back excitement that is sometimes lost, and lets America know that sport can truly be pure at the highest level.

Pat Mitsch is the assistant sports editor for The Pitt News. E-mail him at prm17@pitt.edu.