Soccer fans need to accept Super hoopla

<p>Soccer fans, get beyond the name. Whether you call it football or American football, the Super Bowl is here to stay. We soccer fans (or football fans as we are affectionately called everywhere else in the world), need to join in the fun and embrace Super Bowl Sunday.</p><p>Unlike most American sports fans, we soccer fans are open-minded. With that comes an obligation to look outside the touchline of a soccer field and resist the temptation to compare the global appeal of soccer with American football.</p><p>Soccer fans, we need to get beyond a few items. We shouldn't take offense to the fact that the Super Bowl champs are commonly referred to as "world champions." As hard as it is to admit, the NFL is clearly the most popular sport in the United States and even though the league and championship only include teams from the U.S., we need to be tolerant of the loose use of the term "world champions."</p><p>I'm confident the use of "world champions" in no way, shape or form is used to compare itself to the real world title, a.k.a. the FIFA World Cup. It would be ridiculous to compare the Super Bowl championship with the FIFA World Cup, which has teams from approximately 200 countries in the initial qualification rounds from the six FIFA continental zones (Africa, Asia, North and Central America and Caribbean, South America, Oceania, Europe). It should be noted that the rest of the world sees American football as, well, just that . . . American football.</p><p>Real football has no borders; it is embraced worldwide. Regardless of the fact that the rest of the world doesn't acknowledge American football, it is hard to argue that the Super Bowl winner isn't the best team in the world and therefore worthy of the world title.</p><p>Soccer fans, it is not a crime to admit that the Super Bowl has become the feature event in American sports. In fact, last year's CBS telecast had an estimated 93.15 million viewers. Compared with any other sporting event in the United States, 93.15 million fans shouldn't be taken lightly. And again, please resist the temptation to compare it with the estimated 715.1 million people watching the 2006 World Cup final. Remember, soccer is a global sport whereas American football remains largely, well, America's sport. It like comparing apples and oranges. If apples (American football) are loved mainly in the U.S., whereas oranges (football, soccer, calcio, fussball) are loved throughout the entire globe, wouldn't it be obvious that more oranges would be sold? Everywhere in the U.S., people are having Super Bowl parties with family and friends, and sports bars are packed. A far cry from Germany during the World Cup, when you could watch the games live in any major city plaza with 50,000-200,000 of your closest friends from around the globe, but again, resist the temptation to compare.</p><p>Let's let go of our beautiful sport and try to appreciate American football. Quit talking about how fluid and non-stop soccer is. If you were 345 pounds, would you want to play a game with only a 10-minute break and 90 minutes of nonstop running? If at 250 pounds, wouldn't you be attracted to a game that has more timeouts than a 6-year-old on a sugar binge?</p><p>Instead of complaining, take advantage of the slow pace and constant stoppages and grab a remote, grab a book or even grab a nap. Get beyond the fact that players only play offense or defense. If you were the quarterback, would you want to be responsible for throwing the ball and tackling someone, too? Send on the defense, grab some oxygen or Gatorade and have time to script your next possession. Yes, get over it, the game is scripted, and not free-flowing like soccer.</p><p>The final item is accepting that American football is just much more exciting than soccer. How can you argue that a 3-2 game is more exciting than a 21-14 game? Look at the point totals. Plus, it is much easier to score in an 8-yard goal with a goalkeeper than a 53-yard wide end zone.</p><p>Remember, there is more weight on an offensive line than an entire soccer team. What can be more exciting than a coach and his team, rehearsing (scripting, choreographing, etc.) a play in practice and then implementing it against live opponents? Jerry, run 12 yards to the right, hook back and the ball will be there.</p><p>Soccer fans, I urge you to keep in mind sometimes there are two to three options for a quarterback or running back to consider and they have to make decisions on the fly. Is that not excitement? Again, resist comparing it to the outside defender, who just won possession for his team with a physical tackle and then has to have the skill to attack and create, without the luxury of a timeout, a substitution or a second down. Apples and oranges, folks . . . resist the temptation.</p><p>I encourage soccer fans to embrace the Super Bowl. American football is here to stay, and at a minimum, Tivo the game and watch the three minutes of action and the commercials. If the game is a bore, just remember, the real deal, the FIFA 2010 World Cup, is only 29 months away.</p><p>The Patriots knock off the Giants, 3-2. Let's call it 21-14 to add excitement as we Americans love high-scoring games.</p><p>Chris Ziemer is a longtime area soccer aficionado, currently coaching the Sonoma Academy girls.</p>