Soccer Sidelines by Jane Tolbert

Allez les bleus. . . Well. . .

Le foot, or soccer, is a popular sport that has spread from Europe to the States only recently. Years ago, a friend rejoiced over spending a year in France (to be away from American football and baseball), but she found her husband equally enthralled with Le Foot and Le Tour de France and its maillot jaune. This year, most non-soccer fans have been caught up. . . .if not in the game, at least in the sideline activity. In fact, the occurrences both on and off the field have made this World Cup one to remember. Here are some examples:

World cup horns, or vuvuzela (like swarms of bees), may lead to hearing loss (what will become of these horns at the end of the World Cup?).

The French team has lost face due to the strike and other non-sporting types of behavior. The Equipe de France de Foot, or the Fédération française de football, has more than 71,398 unhappy FaceBook followers who have posted comments that are anything but supportive.

Like my daughter Sandra commented, “If the American football teams went on strike during the Super Bowl, they would have to go in a witness protection program.”

In a country in which a campaign has been launched to encourage polite and civic behavior, the French soccer team committed many an egregious offense. “It’s hard to top this French team's performance, which stands out in two major categories: gross incompetence and cartoonish dysfunction,” writes Darren Everson in his article, “Even the French Hate the French.” (Wall Street Journal, June 23, 2010).

On a more positive note, Paul, the psychic octopus, has gained international recognition for his ability to predict the outcomes of matches in this World Cup. He predicted Spain’s defeat of Germany in today’s semi finals, which, given his residency at the zoo in Oberhausen, could be risky. We will see if he has to request asylum in another country. Prior to this match, Paul had 15,548 very supportive FB fans. By the end of the match Spain v. Germany, he had 18,809 followers, and he posted, “Six for six, mis amigos.”

The lingerie queen from Paraguay, Larissa Riquelme (with 235,752 followers on FB), promised to run naked through the streets in the event of a victory of her home team. Many others made similar patriotic promises for their countries.

Now that the World Cup is coming to an end with the finals (Netherlands v. Spain) on Sunday, sports enthusiasts can shift to the Tour de France. But will the sideline activities be as interesting?