Some Don’t Like Game, Others Don’t Like Way World Cup Final Ended
Until two months ago, I, like most American sports fans, was ignorant about soccer, considered it the most boring sport on Earth and could not understand its worldwide appeal.
With the coming of the World Cup to the United States, I decided to learn the rules and tactics of the game, the skills involved and the strengths and weaknesses of the better teams. I attended two games at the Rose Bowl and watched many more on television.
Now I can say that I was wrong. Backed by a basic understanding of the game, I readily admit that soccer, when played at its highest levels, is every bit as exciting as “Bowling for Dollars.”
RICHARD G. SIMON
San Bernardino
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Thank you from an Irish transplant for your commitment to the World Cup and your generous first-rate coverage. Does Betty Ford have a soccer detox center? I’m starting to crash.
JIMMY PARKER
Huntington Beach
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The World Cup final proved 3 billion people in the rest of the world can be wrong.
HOWARD WOLLITZ
Los Angeles
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I’m sure that for many months to come, sports pundits will debate whether soccer will be able to successfully compete in popularity against basketball, baseball and football here in America. That question was resolved for me once and for all this morning, when my 10-year-old basketball addicted son eschewed his Shaq/Larry Johnson/David Robinson T-shirts in favor of an old, yellow No. 11 AYSO jersey, upon which he printed Romario’s name on the back.
JAN ZAHLER LEBOW
Los Angeles
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For the past month we’ve been living in a real-life version of “The Emperor’s New Clothes.” If that snore of a World Cup final was international soccer’s showplace event, we can be thankful the next one is four years off. And if that “dramatic climax” was as exciting as the media hype about it, let’s abandon overtime in the NBA final for a nail-biting game of H-O-R-S-E.
The emperor has no clothes, Alan. I’ll pass on season tickets. Sominex is slower but cheaper.
SPIKE BRAGG
Long Beach
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After watching the World Cup matches this past month, I’ve finally figured out where soccer fits into the American sports scene. Baseball is our nation’s pastime, soccer is our nation’s naptime.
WILLIAM IPPOLITI
Redondo Beach
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After witnessing an epic struggle between two titans of the soccer world, that classic matchup was reduced to the ultimate embarrassment, a “trash-sport” shootout. If this is acceptable to anyone, we suggest a similar method to decide other classics.
The next time there is a Game 7 in the World Series, if it is tied after two extra innings, that sweetest moment in baseball should be decided by taking each team’s best five sluggers and having them throw at the pitcher, trying to hit him, in alternate order, of course.
Sounds stupid? You weren’t in Pasadena on Sunday.
RON CARCICH
GARY VAN ZANDT
Redondo Beach
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In the last four weeks, the United States has caught soccer fever. Finally we get the big event, the final game between Brazil and Italy, Brazil winning in a dramatic penalty-kick situation. What a spectacular finish. Too bad ABC didn’t find it exciting enough to show the presentation of the World Cup trophy to the victorious team. I guess those Sunday movie matinees are more inspirational to their pocketbooks. Disgraceful.
JULIE MILLER
Santa Monica
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Kudos to ABC for exceptional manners during the World Cup final. What better way to say thank you to Snickers for bringing us an event “commercial-free” than by continuously showing a Snickers bar the size of five soccer players on screen during the game.
MARK GOLDFARB
Westwood
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It’s obvious that the ABC World Cup announcers are graduates of the Ross Porter School of Broadcasting. Many thanks to whoever invented the mute button.
DON GAUDARD
Long Beach
