World Cup

Brazil and England both washed out in the quarter-finals, leaving me with just Germany to cheer for. Well, I suppose I could cheer for Portugal, but seriously...

Anyway... the reason for this post:

Soccer is the only sport I know of (especially if you are Italian or Argentinian, but is true for many other nationalities as well) where an important aspect of the game is rolling around like a pussy on the ground like you just had a limb shot off whenever you are fouled. I grew up in America, and watched my high school team play dozens of games, and saw the same tumbles and fouls, and never once did I see a player roll around on the ground, crying for his mommy, and then 30 seconds later running around the field like nothing had happened. In other words: I call Bullshit on all the players (especially the Italians and Argentinians) who play wounded duck in front of the referees in order to get a pity party.

I've been a football fan for decades now, and was taught primarily on Brazilian football as well as the high quality (we were New York State champions on several occasions) soccer that my high school played. I have never understood the serious pussy-esque show that players put on when they are fouled (or... and this especially annoys me... potentially fouled).

In American sports (and I would say in rugby, tennis, or just about any other sport outside of football), when you are injured, the true sign of a man is to immediately pop up after a tumble, and to run around on a shattered patella, femur, or ankle until the final whistle... and only then would a player dare fall to the ground in agony.

Seriously FIFA. Put a stop to this wimpy nonsense. Any player that is rolling around on the ground clutching his knee after an opposing player brushed against him: Kick him square in the teeth, and give him something real to cry about.

Pussies.

To the rest of the world: If you ever wanted to know why Americans scoff at soccer/football, well now you know.