12/21/24
June 19, 2002
World Cup a 'disaster', apparently.: So says the cover of Newsweek, at least, making a big hoot about the admittedly shambolic ticketing arrangements in Korea and Japan, and extrapolating it into an indictment of the tournament. Funny thing is that the rest of Newsweek's coverage is much more in keeping with the real mood. A football-hating editor, a desparate search for a contrarian angle, or a classic print-journalism troll?
who cares what this magazine thinks? The last place I'd look for info about the Cup is an American publication. The view from Tokyo is this is a fantastic cup. Even the hooligans have smiles on their faces
posted by dydecker at 10:14 AM on June 19, 2002
Maybe that was just the British or international edition of Newsweek, because the edition I received at home in California has a different cover story: medical news about the brain.
posted by msacheson at 11:43 AM on June 19, 2002
Maybe tickets sales have something to do with the insane prices of airline tickets and that fact that the world cup is on the other side of the planet from most competing countries. The fact that I haven't gotten a full night's sleep in almost a month tells me that this World Cup is anything from flat. Infact, it's probably the most exciting one I can remember. BEAT BRAZIL!!!
posted by kire at 11:56 AM on June 19, 2002
What the FUCK?!? What is with all the assholes here in the US!? What the hell do they have against the sport!? I am so sick and tired of it...if they don't like it, why don't they just leave it alone...instead, they go out of their way to bash it! I hate baseball, but i don't go around saying how much it sucks!
posted by StarFucker at 03:58 PM on June 19, 2002
I think one of the big reasons for American assholery on this issue is that they see soccer as a club they weren't invited to. Instead of learning the game and appreciating it, many Americans just chose to write it off as stupid because they aren't any good at it. Reminds me of that line from PeeWee's Big Adventure, on why someone doesn't like France: "He failed French in high school so he thinks everything over there is set up to make guys like him look stupid."
posted by kafkaesque at 04:55 PM on June 19, 2002
I really can't understand this. As etagloh says the rest of the World Cup coverage in Newsweek is quite reasoned and informed. Must be something to do with circulation figures I guess. Having said that is it any surprise the American media is anti-football when Auntie Beeb is taking the piss?
posted by squealy at 06:38 PM on June 19, 2002
Football 365 chip in with an American-style guide to the England Lions.
posted by Ben at 04:31 AM on June 20, 2002
Having said that is it any surprise the American media is anti-football when Auntie Beeb is taking the piss? Well, the BBC have, themselves, been made to look a bunch of tits. But the po-facedness of US 'sports' commentators deserves a good piss-take: ever heard Worms Armageddon?
posted by etagloh at 08:27 AM on June 20, 2002
Troll. Why else is freaking Newsweek putting the World Cup on the cover?