Soccer vs. America: Who Wins?

Ahh, the war that is soccer, (or, football, as it is called in every nation BUT the one that hates it). It seems that every four years, with the arrival of FIFA comes the same old argument. Is soccer REALLY an American sport? Is it even a sport at all? The answer seems clear-It's the second most played high school sport in America, and crowds at the national team's recent final home game reached 50,000. And yet, it's still too simple, many critics claim. Who wants to watch a game in which the score rarely goes over 1, and the players biggest "challenge" is to run around and sweat profusely? I don't know about you, but I think it may be the same people who are impressed that soccer players run a whopping average of 20 miles a day, or that enjoy a game in which not just a country, but a whole world watches. That's what I like about it. I'm not saying I don't enjoy other, more inherently American sports, because I'm a huge Detroit Tigers fan and I don't think basketballs too shabby either. It's just that if someone says that soccer's not a sport, then they must, to be fair, judge other so-called "sports" by the same measures. Professional biking has made Lance Armstrong one of the most revered sports figures in the world, and I'm pretty sure most of what he does is sit stationary on two wheels. Another example is Tiger Woods. Golf had made him a millionaire several times over, but can anyone really say that what he does involves much, if any, physical exertion? Unless these adversaries of soccer are prepared to condemn half the other sports in America, well, to put it kindly, they can just go suck it.

Going Stir-Crazy

So for three days I've been trying to decide why the hell I'm so damn emotional. And I've finally realized-I'M GOING COMPLETELY STIR-CRAZY!!! I have to, have to, have to get out of this house, becuase seriously, it's possibly the most depressing place on the planet. All my sister does is watch Lifetime movies and all I do is sit in front of a computer all day trying to talk to people who are obviously dealing with their summer much better than I am. GHAAA!!! If I didn't like my hair so much, I would pull it out! So this weekend I'm going up North to Petoskey to see our closest family friends, Bob and Val Walker, and my favorite dog ever, a lovable, hokey Basset Hound who goes by a name just as simple as his big fat paws and his adorable floppy ears, George. Yes, that's right, my Grandparents scheduled our little vacation so that I can go visit a dog before he moves back down to Florida and leaves me forever. How nuerotically stupid is that? *Sigh*... I guess what I'm saying is that the whole being jolly thing isn't really working out for me right now and this is the first time it's ever happened. Maybe some extra slobber and some lovable, brown puppy eyes are all I need to pull me out of this rather rain-cloudy mood. I really hope so, because the fact that I feel like crap, is making the whole situation, well, crappier.