Most of the time, when someone writes a great article, I link to it in my news of the day, but with this particular story from Bill Simmons, aka The Sports Guy, I felt it deserved a full post.
Bill Simmons is one of the greatest American sportswriters in America, and that’s saying a lot. There is a reason why he has so much exposure and why he can pretty much do whatever he wants whenever he wants when it comes to sporting events.
What Bill Simmons does best is simple. He speaks to the sports fan. No matter what sport you follow, no matter if you are a casual sports fan or a die-hard fanatic, no matter if you never watch sports except when something magical happens (think Donovan’s goal against Algeria or USA beating the Soviet Union in the Olympics), his articles will connect with you on some level.
Over the past few years, Bill Simmons has been growing as a soccer fan (one of his best friend’s is Rob Stone – who we all know loves soccer and covers the sport for ESPN). And now, just as the World Cup, reaches it’s most exciting time, Simmons hits us with this: Soccer is ready to capture our attention, a 4000+ word 20 questions look at the world of soccer from the Sports Guy’s eyes.
I want to give a shout out to some really cool guys that are doing some great stuff soccer-wise.
They are called Bumpy Pitch and they exist to promote a culture of soccer here in America. These guys create some of the coolest soccer apparel out there that appeals to some of the biggest names in the sport and in the entertainment world. (I recall seeing pictures of Charlie Davies and Sacha Kljestan to Mark Wahlberg and Ryan Seacrest, all rocking Bumpy Pitch gear).
The reason why I bring this up today is for two reasons. First, a lot people have asked me about soccer apparel that isn’t a team jersey. I refer them to various places – one of my favorite online soccer stores is the World Soccer Shop (FULL DISCLAIMER, I am an affiliate of World Soccer Shop and earn a percentage of sales that originate from my site by clicking the banner above). There are other great stores as well. Eurosport, Dick’s Sporting Goods, just to name a few. But none are quite like Bumpy Pitch.
The other reason I bring this up today is because Bumpy Pitch is having a 4th of July weekend sale. Click the link to get your coupon code that will take off 17.76% off your entire order. Yes, 1776. Witty and classy. Well done boys.
We are 24 hours away from the kick off of World Cup 2010!!!
We’ll have our preview of day 1 up later today as well as our USA vs England preview, so be sure to check back in for that. In the meantime, check out these great reads.
With the World Cup starting in a mere three days, I thought I would go to the videos and pick out the top 10 goals in World Cup history. So let’s get started.
10. Pele: Brazil vs. Sweden 1958
Yes, the almighty Pele starts the list off at number 10. No introduction necessary.
See the rest of the top ten goals in World Cup history after the jump.
Woody Harrelson scored the game winning penalty kick in a UNICEF charity match over the weekend.
The match was played between Team England and Team Rest of the World. 65,000 fans showed up to Old Trafford to see the match that ended 2-2 in regulation before heading to PKs.
Celebrities at the event included. Mike Myers, Michael Sheen, Gordon Ramsey, Robbie Williams, and of course Woody Harrelson.
World Cup week is upon us and to start things off, here are two links about soccer in this country.
The first comes in the form of an open-letter to Team USA from Yanks-Abroad. ”It’s a love that transcends a local or college team and an appreciation for a group of humble and honest athletes that aren’t arrogant, bitter or shun their fans.” “You carry with you the hopes and dreams of an entire soccer nation. They have cried with you. They have bled with you. They have celebrated all your accomplishments and look forward to this World Cup with mix of anxiety and anticipation.”
The second is this gloat from Steve Davis over at Daily Soccer Fix: “we overheard a middle aged dude a few seats down bitching about the World Cup, how he just couldn’t wait for the damn thing to be over. And it hit me: the tables have totally turned on soccer haters.”
The theme of these two stories are quite similar. Soccer has arrived in America, and though some may say it is only because of the World Cup, I say differently, and so do the other fans of American soccer.
Now is the time to firmly plant our flag in the landscape of American sports.
Time Magazine gives us their take on Soccer in America – yes, they still don’t quite get it over there, but they are trying so let’s give them some credit, besides it’s an informative read.
And finally, The Chronicle of Higher Education has a lengthy article on all things soccer and the World Cup. This is a fantastic read, but be ready for the long haul, this is one long read. But boy is it fantastic – covering areas from sponsors and money to books and politics: Soccer Conquers the World
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