My predictions on anything European have gone awry this week. First, I picked Ireland to advance in Euro 2012, impossible now after a 4-0 drubbing at the hands of Spain. Then, I selected a few Englishmen to win the U.S. Open, one of whom looks guaranteed to go home early while the other needs to string together decent rounds to stay in contention on a difficult course.
But, amazing to me this week has been the fire and passion shown by European fans in Poland and Ukraine. We hear often about soccer being “the universal game”, the one sport played by everyone and watched by almost everyone, most Americans excluded. And consider why: to play soccer you need a spherical object, two goals or scoring areas, and friends. Very little dangerous contact compared to other sports, meaning you can play for a while. Soccer applies to the least common denominator, allowing impoverished children and families all over the world to play, an appreciation that deepens with age.
International soccer has its own niche in the sports landscape. Certainly every country supports their nationals at the Olympics, World Championships, or other international events. Perhaps for some duty dictates support. Others might relate to these athletes, vicariously living through them to defend the country’s pride on the pitch, field, or court. And that’s what fascinates me: the willingness of fans to not only support their national team but use sports to buttress collective honor. No grand political decision, whether it be treaty or trade agreement, occurs on the soccer pitch. You wouldn’t know it, however, looking at fans at Euro 2012.
Last week, police detained 100 people after fighting between Russian and Polish fans. Why Russian fans assumed they’d be well-accepted in Poland is beyond me, but the brawl between the two belied old passions and rivalries. Russia’s Soviet past dogs them in Eastern Europe to this day, most especially in two former Soviet satellites hosting the tournament this year. Add in the awful history of Nazi occupation and the plight of both Polish and Ukrainian Jews during World War II, and old hatreds must die hard.
But brawling during a soccer tournament? Should we ever be visited by aliens, I wonder if they would understand our raw emotion associated with men kicking a ball around a large rectangle of grass? The truth is, though, we as fans want the chance to go out there and beat international rivals at anything. Sports provides the perfect outlet, a mix of compelling storylines with championship pedigree. For Poland, a country bedraggled for much of the past century between two great powers, soccer allows them a chance to claim victory over mighty Russia, the dominating and imposing Mother Land from years ago. Politics begone…on the field, it’s war.
Yet it doesn’t stop there. Sports also provides a unique way to make your cultural and political opinions felt. A lasting image will be Tommie Smith and John Carlos raising their fist at the 1968 Olympics during the anthem, protesting injustice against black Americans, minutes after winning the gold and bronze medals in the 200 meter dash. This week, Croatian fans burned a European Union flag, signaling their displeasure at the structure and practices of the EU, an organization currently rife with financial worries (in case you hadn’t heard) that might be contracting or expelling members in the coming months. Truly fascinating, however, is the use by some of a sporting event to make a political statement, sending a message to their respective leaders and the world about their feelings.
Writing that previous sentence, I realize this seems so elementary. It sounds so normal for this kind of thing to happen at international events (we’ve all seen the protesters), but when you try to explain it, difficulty arises. Is it all about the attention? Do dissidents and activists know more people pay attention to sports than Parliament and use the event for making a statement? Undoubtedly they do, but I will venture a second theory that meshes better with Polish fans fighting Russian fans. Those who seek to make political statements must feel empowered during a tournament such as Euro 2012. Barring some kind of disaster, it remains a unique point because every citizen has a common desire. They want their soccer team to win. That kind of guaranteed unanimity creates a more expansive, deeper drive to change cultural objects outside of sports. If you know everyone can feel as one about soccer, and therefore about national pride, why not use these events to push for reform in other areas? (this argument assumes a society where ideas can be expressed without reprehension from the state).
Unity behind the national team matters when countries compete at the Olympics or the World Cup. For many with downtrodden backgrounds and resources, sports provides a ray of happiness, even more poignant when the entire nation, rich or poor, agrees with you. Even your worst enemy down the street wants the team to win. I think that attitude of unanimity provides a valuable insight: a nation can unite for something, even when times are bad or it’s only sports.
But that’s the point: to many, it isn’t just sports. It’s pride in your country, and that takes precedence above all else. Add in soccer’s global popularity, and there might not be a better way to express pride in your country than cheering your national team.
Bit #1: I’m tired of playoff games coming down to fouls
I know there may not be any way to change this, but NBA referees need to create a heightened awareness when playoff games enter the final minute. No-calls in the Boston series and last night in Game 2 when fouls clearly occurred impacted the game in very meaningful ways. Yes, both calls helped the Heat but the point is these calls should be made. Nothing prevents a ref from blowing his whistle all day long during the first 46 minutes, but these playoffs have proven the final 2 minutes have a different standard.
I’m fine with that, but both Rajon Rondo and Kevin Durant (arguably Westbrook on the rebound) were fouled when the game hit a crossroads late. Human error dictates refs might not see the contact due to the angles of their vantage point. No issue here, but if so the NBA should consider adding another referee for the playoffs. Baseball does it for foul balls down the line and since we’ve seen the same 7 refs for the last two rounds of the playoffs, some must be willing to add another perspective.
OKC deserved to lose with their pitiful first quarter yesterday. That they lost makes total sense considering they couldn’t make a basket for the first 7 minutes of game time. But, when push comes to shove, referees need to decide to either get involved late or not. Either call everything that classifies as a foul, or call nothing. Durant deserved a chance at the line last night and would have likely tied the game up that way. It’s too bad when officials make their presence demonstrably felt.
Bit #2: NHL Likely to Lockout Again
The CBA between the NHL and the NHLPA expires in September. Amazingly, NHL players receive the highest share of revenues compared to any other major sport, at 57 percent. Owners already have a bad taste in their mouth from those numbers, but a more recent trend also guarantees a lockout this summer.
I refer to the 7+ year contracts that NHL stars sign now. Ilya Bryzgalov, Rick DiPietro, Mike Richards, Jeff Carter, Chris Pronger, Alex Ovechkin, Marian Hossa, Roberto Luongo…all these players saddle teams with huge contracts, making the trade of such players incredibly difficult should their performance lag (hint: I would say maybe one of these guys deserves that kind of long-term investment). When the news came this week that Sidney Crosby and the Penguins might agree to a 10-year, $90 million extension, the truth became evident. While Crosby’s concussion issues also make such a contract risky, why would the Penguins give out that kind of contract life when so many of them have failed? DiPietro, the erstwhile Islanders goalie, signed his big deal and has played a pittance of games since. But the Islanders cannot unload him because he represents a huge cap hit and no team wants him.
Owners don’t like these kinds of contracts for the huge liability they represent. Add in the high revenue share for players, and owners will want to renegotiate the collective bargaining agreement, hopefully without much fanfare to not eliminate an entire season like in 2005.
Bit #3: A-Rod grand slam record tainted?
On Wednesday, Alex Rodriguez tied Lou Gehrig for most grand slams in a career, a seemingly cool milestone except for one fact: A-Rod will always be associated with the steroids era. We heard all about his cousin when he admitted to steroid use while playing for the Texas Rangers, and yet very few mention it normally. Well, this most recent record will likely be the first in a string of big records A-Rod will likely break, possibly including the all-time home run record, another record tainted by steroids already.
We need to get used to this and figure out our response when players from the late 90s or early 2000s start breaking records. A-Rod will be the only one for the next little while, but considering McGwire, Bonds, and Rafael Palmeiro before him, and plenty of big records evaporated as steroids entered the game. McGwire still has no place in the Hall of Fame, not even approaching the necessary vote threshold for votes, despite years as a dominant power hitter. A-Rod admitted his usage early, seeing the writing on the wall should he be outed by a nosy journalist, hoping to preserve some legacy. The question remains what baseball will think as he marches toward some exclusive records.
Bit #4: Early U.S. Open thoughts
I can’t stand the publicity showered on Tiger Woods as if he’s the only guy out there, but I watched the majority of his shots in the first round Thursday. I’m calling it now: Tiger will win this tournament. He did not wow anyone, but played precise golf, hitting fairways and avoiding miscues with his irons for the most part. He looks good, and will win.
Second, I wonder why Bubba Watson even has a caddie. This guy must be a great conversationalist, because you watch Bubba and he barely consults his caddie, deciding instead to read his own putts and determine his own shots. Watch Bubba out there, and he hits every shot differently, so his caddie sees rabbits out of the hat, not the easiest thing to advise on when you’re a caddie. So what exactly does he do all day long? Gives yardage, talks to Bubba, and unwraps his sandwich for him. Not a bad job, considering he gets to walk majors and earn 10% of Bubba’s earnings.
Bit #5: Isiah Thomas Rolling in the Mud
A documentary aired this week on the Dream Team, the best basketball team ever assembled, which played for the U.S. at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. MJ, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird…basically any great players of the time you can think of played for the team.
Except Isiah Thomas. Players revealed on the documentary that they blackballed Isiah, at that point a two-time champion with a serious attitude problem. Thomas’ Detroit Pistons were basically scumbags, one of meanest teams to play in any sport. They relished their “Bad Boy” nickname and played with that kind of style. Before people begin sympathizing with Isiah, we must remember his leadership of a team that always angered opponents, from not shaking the Bulls’ hands to beating up Larry Bird in the post. With Isiah on that team, the biggest names would not have played on the Dream Team.
That said, Isiah deserved a spot based on his stats. At the time, he was the most recognizable figure save MJ, Magic, and Bird in the NBA. Considering Christian Laettner, a college kid (albeit a great one) played on the team, there would have been space for Thomas. But, he tanked his chances through his attitude and image of a pest, without scruples or morals on the basketball court.
Bit #6: NCAA Finally Wakes Up
On Friday, the NCAA announced it would discontinue the regulation of text messages and phone calls to recruits freeing up substantial man-hours for investigators in the future. As of Friday, coaches can make as many phone calls or as many texts as they want, even sending private messages through Facebook or Twitter.
This step needed to happen 7-10 years ago, when cell phones skyrocketed in popularity and the NCAA could not regulate them all. That programs lost scholarships for using standard communication modes of the day reeks of dilapidated, antiquated regulation. While coaches might sicken you by sending “BFF” and “LOL” to recruits, the kind of contact necessary to bring a recruit to your school requires this kind of contact via text or phone. Thankfully, Mark Emmert did well to eliminate one of the larger motivations for past NCAA investigations.
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