Almost a billion soccer fans across the world were shocked to the core last night as some repulsive passing and a disgusting goal interrupted a wonderful display of physical violence and mass brawling on the pitch at the World Cup Final in South Africa.
If you weren’t aware already, the biggest televised sporting event of the year is taking place tomorrow. Contrary to the popular stereotype, that of the negative correlation between literacy and football fandom, I’ll be watching and enjoying tomorrow.
For the rest of you, particularly those who aren’t necessarily fond of football, but might be fond of film, here’s a short you’ll likely enjoy. So. Enjoy.
President Obama threw a baseball, and, if you read between the lines of this article, he can’t even do that right or as well as former President Bush.
Would you expect this kind of thing from Yahoo News? You’d expect it from Fox News, sure, and there is some speculation that the coverage of the first pitch at the recent All-Star game by Fox was intentionally left unflattering, nay, sabotaged, for Barrack.
Recipe for ruining an otherwise perfectly fine and relaxing day:
1) Tune into the coverage of the 2009 Scripps National Spelling Bee;
2) Watch as 12 and 13 year olds not only spell words you’ve never heard, but also know their definitions and root languages;
3) See these kids turn and head back to their seat after speaking the final letter and without waiting for the nod of, “that’s correct,” because they know it’s correct;
4) Watch as a 13 year old with that just-entering-puberty moustache starts to cry when he misspells, “Apodyterium,” as a-p-o-d-i-e-t-e-r-i-u-m.
Wordsmoker isn’t known for sport, but it is known for humiliation and hilarity.
In this video of the playoff game from earlier tonight, Celtic Glen “Big Baby” Davis sinks a game winning buzzer beater and follows it up with a shove to a twelve year old (age unconfirmed) Orlando Magic fan, sending the poor boy’s hat flying off his head.
First assault at 0:13. Slow-mo replays for your enjoyment at 0:58 and 1:18.
Video via NBA.com
Recently, a Dallas-area Christian academy beat a Dallas-area academy that serves those who have learning disabilities by 100 to zero. There is talk on both sides that the winning team did or did not engage in a full-court press for the entire game, in order to drive up the score. After the winning team’s coach attempted to defend the team, the school fired him and requested that it forfeit the game altogether.
This story resonated with me for several reasons.
On this historic weekend, at this historic moment, we are all celebrating like the proud, crazy people we are. Rightly.
We have enjoyed wonderful symbolism and look forward to soaring rhetoric.
This moment, carefully calibrated to crescendo Tuesday at noon, is lacking something. Interviews? No. Video? Not so much. Coverage? Christ, no.
We’re missing music. Yes, there will be music at the Inauguration, but there is also an opportunity missed.
If the Vikings hope to win the Super Bowl, they’ve gotta stop playing like this: Minnesota was roundly beaten by the Philadelphia Eagles, 26-14, at a game played inside a comfy, cozy crockpot. Knowing next to nothing about football (but yes, knowing enough to know that Minny isn’t going to the Super Bowl this year, jeez), I’m not qualified to break down next week’s Eagles vs. Giants game – they’ve split the regular season matchup, 1-1 – so argue away in the comments while we move on to Minnesota’s other big news: it looks like it’ll be Senator Franken after all. OR WILL IT?
