Stop Your Crying

The Troubles of the Titans dominates the headlines. The English whinging, the French drama, and the US’s indignant cries of victimization are drowning out the blare of the vuvuzelas.

The coverage of the World Cup this weekend has focused on teams, fans and pundits complaining. British fans, already dispirited by their weather, their island and a general post-empire malaise, are now dealing with double-draws and poor performances (read: ‘might as well be losing’). France tied Uruguay and then had the nerve to lose to Mexico, 0-2. French player Nicolas Anelka was sent home after reportedly telling his coach to “Go f$%^ yourself, dirty son of a whore!’ and then refusing to apologize. The insolence has been rumored to be a sign of a more massive mutiny between the team and the coach.

But US complainers take the prize for most annoying. (My crankiness is probably my own fault for watching six hours of ESPN every day for ten days.) While US team members themselves have been more careful in their comments, the US public/media is on fire with complaints, recriminations, and pathetic whimpers of ‘it’s not FAIR!’

Suddenly the US public is passionately involved in the global sports event it couldn’t care less about last week. Overnight, US couch potatoes and sports commentators are suddenly experts in ‘soccer.’ The same US commentators who last week were voicing their distance and indifference are now insisting that their own judgment is superior to that of the referee ---who has years of experience, indeed is so highly qualified that he was selected to officiate the African Nations Cup in Angola in January 2010.

Why would that be? What accounts for the sense of superiority? What blend of ignorance and arrogance produces American Exceptionalism?

I liked this comment by a Slovenian, responding to US complainers:

“First of all, I think in general Slovenians don’t have big issues against you…in general at least. After the game everyone is full of emotions, and they say things, that may not really be appropriate. But everyone seems to underestimate us and think of us as a third world country… which is not true. Check out what Wikipedia says on Slovenia, after that, you can judge us if you want. BTW, you are welcome to visit us, if you are planning to visit Europe.

“….Every media on the net, that I’ve visited, were reporting about that third goal and how the US was muged (sic). But I guess no one remembers that match against England anymore. You should LOST that game, but you can say thanks to Robert Green, that you tied that match. Also Slovenia should play tie against Algeria, because our goal was also given with the help of the goalkeeper….

“But guess what—it ain’t so. This is sport and such things happen. That’s why soccer is so popular in the world…because it’s so unpredictable and everything can happen to any team.”


Note also that Spain and Germany have expressed disappointment at their respective loses without resorting to bigoted racist remarks about being cheated out of their god-given right to dominate. Maybe that’s because I’m not reading the German press, and Switzerland’s triumph over Spain failed to inspire the entitled bigots.

By Monday PM we will know what’s at stake for each team in the final phase of group play, June 22-June 25th. Stay tuned!