World Cup: Tsunami of coverage

By Ed Piper

The tidal wave is over.

Actually, the tsunami of World Cup soccer coverage on Fox and Fox Sports 1 continues. It's just that I got out alive--kind of like "Soul Surfer" when Bethany Hamilton first tried paddling out to the bigger waves with one arm, and nearly drowned.

I'm no longer getting up at 4 a.m. to watch the pregame show, then the first game of the day (of three) at 5 a.m. I lived that kind of sleepless lifestyle the first four-and-a-half days of the tournament televised from Russia, starting with the traditional opener with the host country playing a single game Thurs., June 14, then the onslaught of group stage games each day from Fri., June 15, through Mon., June 18.

That's when I decided something had to give, because I wasn't getting anything else done.

It was an interesting, educational four days: Russian autocrat Vladimir Putin holding forth from the podium to open the tournament with his strongman speech before Thursday's initial contest. (I was rooting against his team the whole time, but they vanquished poor Saudi Arabia, 5-0, the equivalent of 10-0 or 15-0 in baseball.)

The next day, I watched Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, whom I had never seen play. He was the entire offense for his patria, scoring all three of Portugal's goals to tie superpower and rival Spain.

My wife and I traveled to both Portugal and Spain three years ago, flying into Lisbon and renting a car to tour sites in central Portugal, then the western part of Spain (including a stay in the walled city of Avila, sleeping in a converted palace built inside the walls--that was quite a treat). So, these images of countrymen from places we have visited brought alive memories, thoughts, further questions about culture and history, which I love. Maybe even a taste of saudade (Brazilians cite this as their longing for their homeland when they're away).

What's so funny about all this is that I'm not even much of a soccer fan, certainly not a knowledgeable soccer fan (though I've watched some boys and girls soccer at La Jolla High over the past 14 years of my sports coverage for the La Jolla Light, Village News, my blog, and my photo work).

But, as I have explained above, I'm a culture/geography/history/language junkie, and I am a sports fan. One, even without insider knowledge that comes from having personally played the sport, can still appreciate high levels of athleticism and skill.