As the advisor to the Tuskan Times, I have taken the liberty to have the last word in each issue. Though the topic may or may not be timely, a writer's hope is that his or her words will provoke some thought and maybe a comment or two. Send your letters to our editors at [email protected].
The Last Word...or Two.
So where does Italian calcio, British football, American soccer, fit in to all this? To watch a match, one would be hard pressed to call the game beautiful, despite its moniker. The players run up and down the field in an attempt to put the ball in the net, much like basketball, hockey, and lacrosse players share the same objective. Strikers occasionally make great shots and goalies often make great saves. Occasionally a shot may be considered beautiful. But the game itself is not. Poor officiating is rampant, and so matches, like that of Fiorentina-Napoli, are often conditioned. American football is often criticized by Europeans as too slow, too much stop and go, but a soccer match is continuously interrupted by the ref's whistle. Great shows of athleticism requiring speed, power and leaping ability are regular features of American sports. Football, basketball and even baseball are physical games, contact sports. 250 pounds of lean muscle, Boston Red Sox slugger Big Papi rounds third base and heads for home and the catcher will stand his ground as Big Papi plows through him hoping to dislodge the ball and score a run. Contact made. No one gets upset. A mere shove will send a soccer player sprawling to the turf. More than likely it is a world class dive, or at least an attempt at one. The beautiful game? Hmm. Maybe beautiful if you like ballroom dancing. Ballet is more athletic. For sure, though, it has its ugly side. Corruption has unfortunately been a part of the Italian game for decades. Match fixing is to Italian calcio what doping is to International Cycling. But who care really cares? After all, it is just a game.
Mr. P