There Is Only One Sinnacle

Before Al Gore invented the Internet writers set out to pen the next great American novel. In this new technological age that has been replaced with so called writers like myself trying to pen a great article.

I’ve been dreading writing this article due to the feeling of not being able to do it justice. Soccer at its highest form is not just a beautiful game but an expression of all that is still good about sport. No other sport can provoke the same emotion that soccer can.

This is not to take away anything from the major North American sports. The Detroit Red Wings won the Stanley Cup last night. That must be a great feeling for Detroit fans but it’s still local. The Red Wings capturing the Cup is not embraced by North America. On the International scene Canadians are passionate about Hockey and rightful so but Canadians expect to win at major events. Hockey is Canada’s sport and their sport alone. Canada are only playing in a pool where 5-6 other teams have even an outside chance of winning. Those are Russia, Sweden, Finland, Czech Republic and the U.S. All those countries you could make a case for that hockey is not the number one sport.

Sports on the North American landscape is regionalized. Few events on this side of the pond quip an entire nation and bring it together. When Team U.S.A plays basketball they are expected to win so that emotion when they do win just isn’t the same. Winning the World Cup or the European Championship is an honour and books your ticket into history. Do many basketball fans remember who won the 1984 Olympics. Most soccer fans could tell you who won the 1986 World Cup as an example.

Sometimes I like to step outside of myself and wonder why does this sport take such a hold of me. Part of me does realize it’s just a game but those thoughts are quickly replaced. In this age where money rules all, the European Championship and World Cup are still relatively pure. Players don’t play for money. Cristiano Ronaldo may not always play for Manchester United but he will always play for Portugal. These players give up a majority of their off season to play for their country. They don’t do it for money, they do it for the same reasons we as fans cheer for them. To lift a country up to greater heights, to witness history, to capture a moment in time when the country that is close to ones heart makes the improbable, probable.

I will never forget Portugal coming behind down 2 goals to beat England back in Euro 2000. That was the exact moment I didn’t feel second class cheering for Portugal, silly as that may seem and believe me I do step outside of myself to wonder why do these events take hold of me like they do. Thanks to Kevin Keegan’s coaching I felt like on any given day Portugal could beat any team in the world.

On the flip side I could never forget Greece beating Portugal 1-0 in the finals of Euro 2004. Briefly I watched as Greece lifted the trophy, part happy for them since they were deserving champions but mostly crushed in the fact that I may never see the day where Portugal stands on top of the football world, even for a moment in time. Jealously did set in, nothing will ever take away that win from the Greek supporters.

Heading into the semi finals of the 2006 World Cup all I could think about is the fact that it’s been 40 years since Portugal were on this stage. It could easily be another 40 years before this happens again I kept thinking. Nothing is for granted in soccer. You have to earn everything you get or else someone else will take it away. It was a long ten years from 1986 to 1996 that I had to go through without seeing Portugal in a major competition. Those days could easily return at some point in the future so heading into Euro 2008 I cherish every moment. Watching the players come out together, hearing the national anthem, the kick off, the crowd cheering and most of all watching time stand still when your team have a prime scoring chance. Usually it would end with Pauleta missing but the moment your eyes are locked on the screen watching the ball cross the goal line then everything soon sets in again. The announcer screaming goal, the crowd going nuts, the players displaying the same sense of emotion that a fan is experiencing in their living room celebrating that goal with their team mates.

Nothing beats it, that dream, the same dream that has been with you since childhood of watching the country which is close to ones heart representing itself in a simple game played on a grass field. Even if you are lucky enough to see your country win a major event such as the Euro’s or the World Cup, you want to experience it again. On the flip if you haven’t there is nothing more one would want to witness then to see that childhood dream become reality.

Part of me is excited with the upcoming European Championship. Part of me knows that within the next three weeks one of those days will be a hard one to get through. Euro 2008 will have 16 countries trying to do the same thing, 15 of them will be going home empty handed. There’s a good chance that the country I’ll cheer for will be one of them. As the Garth Brooks song goes.

Yes, life is better left to chance
I could have missed the pain but I’d of had to miss the dance.

Just replace the dance with Euro 2008. You see when you get right down to it, the passion and the pain are really one just one in the same.

This entry was posted on Thursday, June 5th, 2008 at 5:02 am and is filed under Articles. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.