World Cup

[tlclark]

Empire!! Good golly! We are having a real anglosphere moment here aren't we!!

Er....actually I meant the Roman Empire!

Graham.

P.S. Parry's 'Jerusalem', with words by William Blake.

Thanks!

Back to soccer...er...I mean Football:

Truthfully, Italy is the only team I ever followed with any passion. Back when I was taking Italian as an undergraduate (years ago now!) all the Italian minors and majors would gather on the dorm floor and watch "soccer". A bunch of them had gone to Italy on religious missions and came back with a passion for it. We played intramural some, I stunk, but that's when I learned that in real football you have to have one heckuva cardiovascular system because unlike American football the plays don't last 15 seconds.

Last year I found a bar on one side of the Piazza Navona that played american baseball, basketball and English football, one of the few places where everyone spoke some English, so since my ancestry is Liverpool and I was desperate for some English company, (My Italian isn't what it was 12 years ago!) I joined in, so now I'm an England fan...when I catch a game, which is like, close to never...but oh well, it's the thought that counts, right?

Both kids play though. It's weird. Here in America, Soccer/football is the number one sport for kids under 12. It's easy to see why. It's far more entertaining that either baseball or american football.

Travis