By Ilene Black
Once upon a time, I was one of those annoying moms who ran up and down the sidelines while my eldest son Georgie, then age 6, played soccer in the West End Instructional Soccer Program.
I grew out of that behavior eventually and learned how to sit on the bleachers and drink coffee like the rest of the spectators. Throughout the next 27 years, we spent most of our time on a soccer field, watching our boys play travel soccer, high school soccer, and college soccer. We even watched games that they coached. As a result of all that soccer exposure, I consider myself a sophisticated fan of the game now.
Segue into the FIFA World Cup 2014. What a blast I had watching the games! I have watched the World Cup in the past, of course (in my house it is sacrilegious not to), but this year I really got into it.
I listened to/watched games on my computer at the office, rushed home from work to watch games, and planned meals around game times. Countless times during the course of the World Cup, we ate in the living room on snack trays.
I became so involved in it that I got a bit critical. (Of course, every sport looks easy from my vantage point on my loveseat, a nice fresh cup of coffee at my elbow.)
“Terrible shot! What are you aiming at?”
“Where’s the defense? Wake up!”
“Offside! Offside!”
Now keep in mind that I have played soccer exactly twice in my life. The first time was a parents versus players game back in the early 1990s. I had to play midfield, which, for the uninitiated, requires a lot of running. I don’t care for running. I lasted approximately 10 minutes and then crawled off the field, swearing never to do that again.
The second and last time was at a coaches’ game in the early 2000’s. I did not improve much in those 10 years. This time I was up front, which, again directed at the uninitiated, means that I was expected to not only run, but I was expected to score.
Score. Like, shoot the ball into the net. I got the ball exactly once, dribbled it a few times, and then passed it to the guy next to me. Totally chickened out. I subbed myself out shortly thereafter and retired my spikes forever.
Watching the World Cup, I was struck by several things. The first, was how passionate the fans from around the world are. The United States has soccer fans, but not like the European countries or the Central and South American countries.
To these people, it’s a way of life. Fans sobbing hysterically when their team lost, little kids crying, grown men, crying. I mean, wow. Passionate.
Second, I marveled at the sheer acting ability of some of the players. One little shove and they are rolling around on the ground, clutching whatever body part was touched and grimacing as though someone had ripped their spleen out.
When this happened, which was about 10 times during every match, I found myself yelling, “Get the Oscar out!” or “Here’s your little gold statuette.” Some of these guys really should take up acting when they retire from soccer.
Third, I was amazed and amused by some of the get-ups in the stands. Face-painting, hats, wigs, costumes, you name it, these fans wore it.
The one thing that the fans of this World Cup did not have were the vuvuzelas, those awful long horns that sound like a huge swarm of angry killer bees.
Fourth, I loved the chants throughout the stadium. I loved the fact that the spectators did the Wave. I loved the fact that, unlike U.S. baseball games, you never saw the fans eating or playing with their cell phones. They were totally engaged and involved in what was happening on the field.
So now the World Cup is over for the next four years. We still have the MLS, which will seem a bit tame after the spectacle of the World Cup. But it’s soccer. And I love soccer.
Ilene Black has been a resident of Ewing for most of her life and lives across the street from her childhood home. She and her husband, George, have two sons, Georgie, 32, and Donnie, 28. A licensed soccer coach, Black was head of the boys’ travel soccer program in Ewing for many years and ran the township’s annual Labor Day Soccer Tournament for several years. She is the creator and moderator of a Facebook group called, “You Know You’re a Ewingite When…,” which has more than 1,000 members.
