Written by Brian van Vliet - July 8, 2008
So many times you hear a Super Bowl Champion football player exclaim with joy “the world now sees we are the best…” or even better, the baseball championship being called the World Series. It’s funny to me that anything in the US is considered a world wide event. Well here’s a little news flash for all our friends south of the border. The people in Brazil, Africa and China could care less about NFL football. And how can you declare yourself World Champions if you do not allow the Japanese to have a shot at the World Series.
Well, recently we were treated to two world class events that brought more entertainment and thrills than any Super Bowl or World Series in recent memory. The first was soccer’s European Cup. Sure one can argue that the European Cup does not include all the best soccer teams from across the globe however, I can guarantee you that people all over the world were watching. And what a European Cup it was. From the disappointing efforts of France and Italy to the pleasant surprise of clubs such as Russia and the eventual winners, Spain. How about England not even getting out of the qualifiers? The North American mindset is that soccer does not provide enough offense. However there were many games that saw three and four goals and provided a load of offensive opportunities. Sports commentators such as Jim Rome can continue to pound the sport of soccer into the ground however the excitement and fever that the game provide are undeniable. The more Rome tries to bash it, the dumber he is starting to look. The country of Spain went wild, their first major soccer Championship since 1964.
But little did the Spaniards know, it was only going to get better. In 1966 a man named Manuel Santana won the Wimbledon tennis title held annually in England. Since that time no Spaniard had ever won the title at the exclusive all England club. That is until this past Sunday. With sensation Roger Federer going after his sixth straight Wimbledon title and his name in the record books all that stood in his way was Spaniard Rafeal Nadal. The “king of Clay”, Nadal had beaten Federer on other surfaces but was never able to take him out on grass. Sunday’s Wimbledon final was a sports battle of epic proportions. From the rain delays to the valiant comeback by Federer - only to be overturned by the determined Nadal. The five set 5 hour marathon was something that outdid the classic McEnroe Borg battles of the past. As someone said, this was a final to ends all finals. Just like in the Euro Cup, Spain eventually prevailed. And guess what, the world was watching.
It’s time for North American Sports fans and mostly those in the great US of A to start appreciating some of the other sports outside of “the big four.” They just don’t know what they are missing.
Agree or disagree, I’m off the goalpost.
