Basketball Bed Soccer

October 8, 2008 admin No comments

Basketball Bed Soccer

Fellow Americans: We're Embarrassing Ourselves

A Pop Quiz

Quick! Name the nationality of this World Cup fan: He watches all 64 World Cup games—in their entirety—every year. He wakes up at 3 am just to be absolutely sure he will not miss a minute of action. He wrote an article entitled 11 Annoying Things That Are Bound to Happen At the 2010 World Cup.

Time's up! Bet you 10 pounds you didn't even think "American." (He's a Brit named Mark, and his column appears on caughtoffside.com.)

The Problem

Let's face it: Americans are spoiled by the world of professional sports. We have dozens of sport types, multiple sport channels, and countless sport websites. We can choose what we want to watch, and when we want to watch it. Who cares if our hemisphere is asleep while Lance completes the latest stage of the Tour de France? We've got basketball, tennis, and baseball all waiting for us the following evening.

The truth is we're pampered and we're lazy. When one game starts running too late, or another starts in the middle of the night, we crack open a beer, flip over to American Idol, and then say Screw it: I'm going to bed.

This is unacceptable.

Yes, Lance can wait. There are 162 major league baseball games every season, and you're not going to watch all of those dreadful match-ups. And let's be honest: no one's viewed more than 30 minutes of golf in one sitting in over 18 years. But when it comes to the World Cup—with the pride, the passion, the intensity—lazy fan protocol has got to stop.

The Heritage

Take a look at this breakdown of all World Cups since the very first in 1930. In the last 80 years, the United States has finished in the top four once. Halley's Comet comes around more often than that! Pitiful.

The Solution

The United States Soccer Team isn't going to win knowing that Americans couldn't care less. So how do we become better fans? Energy drinks. Like our British friend Mark, we've got to commit to the World Cup, and there's no better way to catch all the soccer mania than through drinking all the latest energy-inducing beverages. Here are a few options to get you started:

1. Kronik Energy: Exhausted after a 10-hour day at work, but have to stay up for a full slate of night games? Chug down Kronik Energy's 2000 mg of Caffeine, all in a 16 oz. can.

2. DynaPep Energy Micro-Shot: In the 87th minute, with the score tied 1 all, don't let your drooping eyelids spoil your fun. Take a Micro-Shot of DynaPep Energy to squeeze out those last few moments of the game.

3. Monster Heavy Metal Energy Drink: Need lots of fluid but don't want to buy a whole case of cans? Look no further than Heavy Metal Energy by Monster, 32 fluid ounces of caffeinated goodness that'll last you through a whole day's worth of games.

Still not satisfied? Glance at this
comprehensive list of other sleep-annihilating alternatives. The United States National Soccer Team will thank you.

About the Author

Ben spent his early years in both Arizona and Ohio before arriving in sunny southern California. He received a degree in English (with an emphasis in writing) from Westmont College, a program which included a semester abroad in England. He is now a Product Development Manager at FindTheBest.com, a comparison search engine. He is also the editor of all things Sports and Nutrition for the website.

Just started High School and am dead depressed?

Hi, I'm 14 now and have just started high school. Before starting I was very hopeful of making many friends and becoming a more likeable guy. Yet after these past several weeks, I don't believe I'll become that popular guy. My old friends are leaving me because they don't think I'm cool or good enough; I fell left behind as my old friends are already becoming popular with the other kids. You see, I used to play basketball and soccer and focused all my energy on these sports. When I realized that I wasn't good enough to keep playing a void was formed within me, and I tried to fill this void with friends and popularity. But now, I don't think I'll ever become popular and am feeling empty with my old friends even leaving me. I feel like there's no real reason for me to get up from bed anymore. Please, some advice?

You call those people friends? Forget them. I'm a freshman in college and I came out of high school with the same friends I started in with because they were my friends not my acquaintances.

I went into high school with the same goals. I wanted to be this whole new person and I was going to start being that person from day one. It didn't happen and now that I've finished high school I see why. You change over time it isn't instantaneous. If you want to be another type of person you have to work to be that person not just wake up one morning and say I'm going to be popular. You have to work for things - your grades, your being, your sports. But not your friends if they can't accept you as you are then they're not your friends.

And it kind of sounds like you have some self esteem issues. Who beat you down? I want you to do something for me. Go to a mirror and find something you like about yourself. It can be physical because that's a start but I'd rather it be something inside of you. I'll give you an example. I'm a good listener, if I like or know nothing else about myself I like and know that. I know who I am and I hope that through your high school years you can learn who you are too.

O and those people who say that high school is the best years of your life? Don't worry they're not. Be wild and crazy, try new things but overall be you.