The break between summer semesters was quite eventful if you were a soccer fan. The U.S. team made it out of group play and into the Round of 16 in the World Cup before falling to Ghana in an elimination game.
The loss was heartbreaking for die-hard supporters of our national team, but it was hard to tell the difference between legitimate disappointment and tears from bandwagon fans while sifting through Facebook statuses this past weekend.
We’re not sure, but it seems like the people who are crying the most after the U.S. loss are the same ones who ask why the clock counts up and does not stop. When we had to share bar space with these people during games, we were unsure whether to balk at their ignorance or embrace their sincerity. Unfortunately, it got bad enough that we chose the former.
We want to set things straight: Soccer is not like the Olympics. You cannot just walk in without knowing anything about the sport and go for your national team, complaining the entire time about the lack of an instant-replay system. It is annoying.
Starting today, all you guys who jumped in line to cheer for the U.S. team have four years to learn something about the sport other than that using your hands is not allowed. Even though we would be delighted if people took a little more initiative in learning the sport, we have a sneaking suspicion that the only reason the World Cup was so popular this year was that people were just looking for an excuse to drink at 7:30 a.m.
