A pitch for the fun of the World Cup

Football is king in this country. Or is it baseball, America's pastime? All levels of basketball are pretty popular here, and have you seen how many golf courses there are everywhere? I'm a fan of many sports — a big fan, if you ask those close to me. But this summer, something else is vying for my attention. It's the world's version of football — soccer — and the six-week spectacle known as the World Cup. That it is mainly being played on American soil only adds to the spectacle. Yes, it will not be able to capture all American interest like the Super Bowl does, or even the Olympics, but soccer-interested people will come out of the woodwork all summer. Like me. I've had an interesting journey with what some call "the beautiful game." I played the All-American combo of football, basketball and baseball in my youth, never playing soccer other than at recess. I love a good tournament, however, and I remember getting into soccer at Age 11 in 1994, when the World Cup last came to the States. As the nights grew cooler that fall, my interest in soccer faded until my oldest daughter became a toddler. In our town, like many, girls' soccer was a very popular introductory sport. We signed her up for a team, and this eager dad decided to also sign up to coach. I was given a stack of purple uniform shirts, a bag of soccer balls and a couple of drills, and was left to fend for myself with my small army of ants. Isabelle grew to love the sport, and has continued long past my coaching career. When she plays her final game — gulp — as a senior, two years from now, I'll write more about how a football playing man became a travel soccer coach. Just know the sport has connected us. It has taken us on many journeys as a family, and has provided her with life-long friends, opportunities and memories. Which gets me back to the World Cup. I don't have the mental bandwidth to follow the sport like a die-hard all of the time, but this summer I'll be tuned into many matches, especially when the Red, White and Blue take the pitch. High ticket prices will keep many casuals like me from going to a match, but I have my spreadsheet ready to go, filling in the standings as the matches are played. (I'm a little bit of a sports math and geography nerd, so the World Cup's format fits right in my lane). I'll be enjoying the social media accounts of fans from around the globe coming to America and experiencing the good and wholesome parts of our country, such as the local food and sights. I'm hoping we put our best foot forward. Soccer is a great and technically fascinating game that certainly has developed in the USA since the last time the World Cup came here. Go to a Columbus Crew game, or to a club soccer tournament, and you'll see there is "pitch fever" in many corners of America. Somewhere there will be a sports-loving boy who will discover a new competition and is mesmerized by seeing countries and players from across the globe. Somewhere a dad is signing up his child to play soccer for the first time, unknowing the adventure that lies ahead. Somewhere, a high school player is gearing for the fall, even the most daring accomplishment seeming possible through the excitement of a fresh season. Our family is all of these things, and this is why I'm a soccer fan, and why I'll be tuned into the World Cup. Jeremy Speer is the publisher of The Courier, Findlay, the Sandusky Register, The Advertiser-Tribune, Tiffin, the Norwalk Reflector and Review Times, Fostoria. He can be reached at jeremyspeer@thecourier.com.