Football

Most American's don't know what football is, or the joys of the game. In part, this is due to the capitalist mentality. American Football (which really should be called Handball or Runningball) is shown whenever it is on -- regardless of what would normally be shown in that time slot on network television. Football (soccer for Americans) doesn't even get shown on network television unless there is nothing else to fill the time slot.

For example, the World Cup is going on right now in Germany. The US National Men's Soccer Team is playing in the event. The World Cup is the single largest sporting event world-wide, but ABC can't show the US team playing on network television. Why? Are soap operas really that big of a deal? They will be on again tomorrow and that guy's brother will still almost marry his long-lost half-sister.

I can understand the argument not to show other countries' teams, but come on, the US national team. Football will never take hold in the US if it doesn't get some airtime. More people are watching the World Cup world-wide than watched the last Olympics -- what does that tell you?

Instead, I have to go find the games on cable. Mind you, I don't have cable at home, and while that may be shocking to some, why would I. I'm not paying $50 per month so I can watch maybe 15 channels for a total of about 7 hours per week. When you consider that I'm missing things like The World's Strongest Man of 1972, why would I pay for cable? Who cares that I could have 300+ channels when I wouldn't watch 290 of them?

I want to see Football. I want to see La Liga, Premiere League, Bundesliga, Serie A, UEFA Champions League and so on. I want to see Latin American club play (Boca Juniors, etc). I want to see current sports, not the Superbowl from 1981. If I really wanted to watch the 1975 World's Strongest Man or the Superbowl from 1971 I could buy a video. I want to see what's going on now in sports. Someone please remind me what ESPN stands for again.