Commentary
It's Not Just Soccer Fans Who Will Be Heading To Germany
By Christopher Barton
March 17, 2006
In less than 100 days the eyes of the World will be focused on the 2006 World Cup Finals in Germany. In twelve venues, 63 games over almost five weeks will determine world supremacy in the sport that everyone outside of the red, white and blue knows as football.
There are many aspects of the World Cup that are hard for Americans to understand, beginning with comparisons to the Super Bowl. Of course, enlightened Yanks know that the Super Bowl is a second tier event compared to what will transpire on the Rhineland.
In many ways the lack of understanding is an issue of cultural differences. For many years, the complaint about soccer in this country has been based on the lack of understanding of the game, and labels like "communist football."
To the average fan raised on American football, basketball, baseball or hockey, the sport of soccer has not been ingrained into the conscience, and when one does not understand the game it is easy to dismiss it. While the rest of the world prepares with great anticipation, in this country we are so stuck on March Madness and the opening of baseball season that preparation for the World Cup is shunted to the back pages (if at all) of the sports section.
The most amazing thing about the way that the American sports fan rejects the sport is that the U.S. is actually one of the better teams around, and we are usually pretty good front-runners.
The age old question of how to establish the game of soccer as a major franchise in this country will continue until something about the game is so alluring it draws attention without question. As sad as this is to say, if it is like the efforts of other sports in this country, it will somehow be connected to sex. Where oh where might that come from? Why, more cultural differences, of course.
Imagine the thoughts of American male sports fans across this country when they read the following: A million foreign visitors will visit Germany for the (World Cup)...many are expected to visit brothels in the 12 host cities. Prostitution is legal in Germany and sex workers can get health insurance, join a services union and pay into a pension plan.
That's right, just like Las Vegas, but an entire country. The problem is that because it is legal, there are several foreign females who want to profit on the world's greatest sports stage. Think about that this way...in this country an East Coast Union seeing non-unionized workers from another country come in and compete for jobs. Not pretty.
The concern is so great in some corners that suggestions have been made that the "no visa needed" policy between the 52 countries in the European Union be suspended for a period of time long enough to keep the foreign ladies of the evening out of the host nation.
That suggestion was met with derision and quickly withdrawn by the trial balloonist who floated it, none other than the European Union Justice Commissioner. Fortunately, there also appears to be some sensible people involved as well since some are suggesting that the focus be on reducing or even eliminating the brothels altogether.
So, what we have here is the world's largest sports stage with intense focus from virtually every corner of the earth and a million visitors to the host country. The games last two hours, and all those fans need something to keep them occupied. Maybe now we know how they will spend some of their free time.