Sunday, June 11, 2006

Soccer Dad: Games Begin

An unexpected perk of those early morning wakeups is that Maceo has prepped me for the 2006 World Cup. The games begin at 6am and my eyes pop open around then, out of habit. I get him out of bed, change him and feed him, and turn on the game. Maceo gurgles in my lap, slapping at a mini soccer ball.

I've caught 6 out of 7 games of the opening weekend. We've watched a couple together. I've turned it into an educational opportunity, encouraging his espanol by flipping it to the local Univision channel. It's far more engaging than the vanilla ESPN/ABC coverage, and the whole "golgolgolgolgol" celebrations are super fun. And when soccer isn't on, it's usually some combination of soccer highlights, goofy kids, hot chicks, the Bee guy ("Chesperito") and older men with guts acting silly in red, white and green face paint.

I actually finagled a work-related project where I cover the local ethnic communities and their relationship to the World Cup. Translation: I go to tiny restaurants, pubs, delis and markets and watch games. Friday I was at a British pub to see Germany and Costa Rica. Tuesday I go see Korea play Togo at a Korean deli. In 2002, I got my Red Devils on here and it was a blast.

Can life get any better? Only 59 or so more games to go. Hey people, get caught up in a worldwide phenomenon! Dae Hae Min Kuk! (clap clap clap-clap-clap)

SD

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

which korean deli is showing that game?

Soccer Dad said...

In the Bay Area, Galleria Market and Deli. Located on El Camino near Lawrence. Next door to Lawrence Health Center--the Korean spa where you can get body scrubs. If Korea wins, I'm getting one.