Why You Should Forget Everything To Watch The Beautiful Game

Hola amigos! I have to tell you that I won’t be doing much blogging for a while because I’m going to be busy doing something else- watching soccer games on TV. That’s right. I would rather watch the Euro Cup and the Copa America than spend  my days blogging. Here’s why.

Make sure you subscribe to the blog

Click to tweet this post

I have a lot going on in my life this summer. I don’t want to bore you with the details, but the main issue is that we’ll have to move out of the house we live in and downsize to an apartment while we get our new house fixed. Yea. Total hell. As you can see, I’m going to have my hands full for a while.

All this has me stressed out, plus the demands of working on a blog, or a couple of blogs, don’t make things any easier. So, I’ve decided to take a break and focus on other things, like moving, downsizing, and watching soccer games on TV.

Soccer Summer Fun

This summer, two soccer tournaments are taking place simultaneously on two different continents. In Europe, all the national teams will battle it out to see who wins the Euro Cup. In America, all the national teams will play for the continental championship. It’s almost like the World Cup!

This soccer extravangaza will take up about a month of my life, just enough time to focus on packing boxes and watching matches. One of the reasons I’m going to spend so much time watching soccer and not blogging is because I can do that while I pack boxes. But seriously, I also love watching the matches.

Soccer Fans

Like most Mexicans, I like soccer. It’s the national sport! Baseball comes a little close, but soccer is the real king. Personally, I can’t stand to watch any other sport other than soccer, except maybe baseball. Basketball doesn’t do anything for me. American football is just too weird, I don’t understand a thing about it.

Soccer is more my cup of tea. It only has 15 rules, so it’s easy to understand, and almost every country has a team, so it’s truly global. It’s exciting to know that your watching the same game that millions of other people around the world are watching too. It feels like a true world community.

Watching the world’s national teams play against each other has a special flavor on its own. It’s the only way countries can battle it out without actually going to war. In the end it’s all just a game, of course, but fans take it very seriously. As surprising as it may sound, a nation’s sense of pride can depend on victory or defeat on the pitch. It gets dramatic sometimes.

The Beautiful Game

Soccer legend Pelé once called it “the beautiful game.” It’s a game of technique, precision, mastery, and art. It also requires true athleticism in players. It truly is beautiful, but it’s also pretty rough. If you think it’s a game fit only for 10-year-olds, you’re as clueless about it as I am about American football.

To the untrained eye, it may seem like it’s a bunch of players running after the ball, but it takes a lot more than that. Players have specialized positions, which require different skills- the goalie defends the net, the defenders keep the opposite team from approaching, and the midfielders direct the ball to the forwards so they can score.

Soccer has given the world some of the greatest moments in sports, and several of those moments have happened right here in Mexico, at the Azteca Stadium.

The first was the 1970 World Cup Match of the Century- the semifinal between Italy and West Germany, which Italy won. Another great moment was the 1970 final, when Pele´s legendary Brazil squad took the Cup home.

But arguably the finest moment happened during the 1986 World Cup, when Maradona’s unforgettable Argentina squad played the quarter final against England. In this historic match, Maradona scored history’s two most famous goals- the Hand of God goal and the Goal of the Century.

As you can see, the pitch of Mexico’s Azteca Stadium is one of soccer’s most sacred places.

My Mexico jersey. Go team!

Soccer Stars

Soccer players are truly global stars, with fans that root for them even if they play for another country.

Argentine star Lionel Messi, who plays forward for the Spanish team Barcelona, is the best and most popular player in the world at the moment. He’s so popular that little kids from Argentina all the way to Afghanistan wear his jersey, and spectators rise when he takes the pitch, no matter if they are rooting for the other team. It’s also amazing to watch him work his magic.

Right now, we have the privilege of watching Messi play at the Copa America, along with other stars like James Rodriguez from Colombia and Mexico’s very own Javier Hernandez “Chicharito”.

At the Euro Cup, everyone is wondering what Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo can do, or if Germany’s team is going to add the Euro 2016 to their 2014 World Cup win. There’s bound to be some great matches for sure!

All ready to support the team!

Let’s Watch Some Soccer Matches

I always root for Mexico, of course. This year, the team has a high chance of going all the way to the Copa final, so there are high expectations.

On the other hand, I used to have a soft spot for Brazil, but the team has been playing so badly lately, I think I would rather keep an eye out for Messi’s Argentina.

As for the Euro, I’m rooting for Germany. Die Mannschaft has always been my favorite.

So what I’m going to do this summer is pack boxes (ugh), grab some tasty snacks, and watch some Euro magic and Copa thrills. I think a beach vacation is out of the question for now, but it’s safe to say a double soccer tournament is very likely the next best thing!

If you’re watching the Euro or the Copa, raise your hand! If not, go watch.