The elephant in the living room is the World Cup currently taking place in Brazil. The US is doing well, but we will not know our fate until Thursday concerning the Round of 16. I got into the details pretty quick there. The World Cup Finals come around every 4 years and is an amazing display of international sport. I love it. I love it so much that it is the topic for this week’s 20 Questions Tuesday.
Thanks this week go to Lsig, Chris Ring, K Smith, Pat, Nadolny, AllRileyedUp, Chris Corrigan, and Dave Newbold… onto the questions:
1. If the World was really a cup, how much would it hold?
1,097,509,500,000,000,000,000 cubic meters according to it being spherical instead of the oblate spheroid that it actually is.
2. Who do you think will win? Who are you rooting for? Is it kinds like the football playoffs, where you change who you are rooting for as people get kicked out?
I think the winning is going to be between the Brazilians and the Germans. I am rooting for the US but would also love the Netherlands to take the cup.
3. Do you believe the expense of hosting the World Cup is worth it in general? For Brazil, specifically?
I think the expense of hosting the World Cup is negligible for places that already have the infrastructure to host the games. The expense being not worth it happens when nations have to complete massive building programs to have the facilities to host the Cup. It is really wonderful to see the cup being hosted in some place other than Europe, but the massive expenditures to the benefit of, really, no one is a terrible thing. The riots and protests in Brazil seem to outline this fact, and the massive human rights violations that exist in Qatar also highlight the nastiness of it.
4. What was up with that late Portugal goal? Ugh.
The US took their foot off the gas in the last minute of the game. They felt the game was over before it was. If anyone takes anything from this game it is that you should play to the whistle, kids. Play to the whistle.
5. In the 70's soccer tried to gain a foothold in the US (remember NY Cosmos, I do) but it didn't take, but that generation of kids is now grown and soccer is here to stay. What say ye to the haters? Do you find the sport gaining in popularity? Do you ever see it being as popular as other sports in the USA? Why hasn’t soccer gotten more popular in the usa?
I was a Tampa Bay Rowdies fan because of the green and yellow striped socks. I do think that soccer is gaining in popularity in the US. I think it will be equally as popular as a few of the big 4 in the US (Football, Baseball, Basketball, and Hockey), but it is due to waning popularity in the less popular of the big 4 (Basketball and Hockey). It is a meeting in the middle instead of an overtaking. I think the lack of popularity is due to the lack of scoring and the incapability to break down some positions with statistics, because people in the US like scores and statistics.
6. Ronaldo less than 100% or have defenses got his number?
Ronaldo has always been a defensive liability. He has no D, so the US continually exploited the areas that he should have been defending and made other players try to cover those gaps, thus opening other gaps. He was less than 100% and did not have the quality around him to make up the difference.
7. Biggest surprise so far?
Costa Rica doing so well and Spain doing so poorly.
8. Biggest saves Howard or Ochoa?
So far? Ochoa. He was out of his mind/standing on his head against Brazil.
9. Explain offsides in 20 words or less.
There must be 2 defensive players between you and the goal when the ball is played to you. 18 Words.
10. Running for 45 minutes at a time at the mouth of the Amazon. How much do those players hate everyone at the end of a half?
They do not have enough electrolytes to hate. Turns out you need potassium to hate.
11. So we just need to tie and Germany and the USA and Germany will both move on. Why not just kick the ball around for "funzies"? Is that not sporting?
If the efforts do not look like the teams are even remotely trying, that is considered incredibly bad form. That being said, if Germany goes up 1 - 0, do not be surprised to see them back off in the intensity, and vice versa. If there is a tying goal to make it 1 - 1, I doubt the intensity gets bigger again.
12. Is it ironic that in an event called World Cup, so few men seem to wear one (according to my Tumblr feed)? Do soccer players in the World cup wear a cup? Do any soccer players? It seems like a game where it would be really useful, but also seems very restrictive to running.
Your tumblr feed is alarming on many different levels. Few players wear a cup do to the restrictiveness.
13. Is there big gambling in it like there is in the football playoffs? Or the NBA tourney?
More… the gambling is global. That is why there is so much of an issue concerning match fixing on the world stage.
14. So, what are the most important things the uninitiated should know about the World Cup?
It truly is a World Cup. There 32 teams from all over the world in the World Cup final tournament, but in truth the tournament lasts for about 2 years. The US started Qualifying for the cup in 2012, and the tournament starts with the qualification process between about 130 nations and whittles down to 32 for the final tournament. It is truly an amazing thing.
15. If you are American and visiting Europe, is it socially acceptable to still call it soccer?
It would be no different than walking around Europe and other places without understanding any language other than English, which is what we do… we got hubris, yes we do.
16. Is it sad that only soccer players I know are Pele (mind the lack of the accent) and David Beckham?
Yep, since both players are retired, I would say that you should make an attempt to update your references from a player that retired in 1977 and another that retired in 2013.
17. How Do you think CONCACAF's awesome showing at this World Cup will affect the profile of our beloved game in Canada and the US?
I think the showing made by CONCACAF has been nothing short of amazing. No one expected 3 of the 4 CONCACAF teams to play as well as they did, regardless of if the US advances, the US was not expected to win a game, much less get 4 points.
18. What's the next country that will win the World Cup for the first time and will it happen at this tournament?
The Netherlands look pretty darn awe inspiring this year. I hope they can take it.
19. Is the trophy even a cup?
It used to be, but after Brazil won it the 3rd time they retired the cup and made a different trophy. Brazil has won it 5 times.. one more time and do they redesign the trophy?
20. Have you followed world cup in the past? Whats all the hubub, bub?
I was away of the Cup in 1982 and have been following the World Cup since 1986.
To recap:
Now I am 40… so I guess that’s a thing
I need to sleep more
The site was mentioned in Diamond Time for the Night Attack podcast last week
I have done interviews with Shwood, JuRY, Ali, and Iyaz
That was the cast from the most recent Night Attack podcast
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I have other interviews as well
In fact, next week I ask 20 Questions to another podcaster
Although I think he may be done podcasting
I have 3 more interviews in the works, but they are slow going
For my 40th Birthday my 2 best friends from childhood came out to visit
It was delightful
It was marred a bit by my preoccupation with school work
I am 40 Goddamnit! I shouldn’t have homework
I am tired of the degree program
I just want my degree
Still rocking the 4.0 though
So I have that going for me
US plays Germany on Thursday
US wins, they move forward
US draws, they move forward
US loses and Ghana and Portugal tie, they move forward
US loses and Portugal wins by less than 5 goals, they move forward
US loses by 1 goal and Ghana wins by 1 goal, they move forward
There are some other weird scenarios in there that might get the US through, but they involve lots and potentially chicken innards
Come on you Yanks!
Have a great week everyone!