Stick it or kick it
Hockey and soccer are the best sports ever. No contest.
(Photo courtesy of pitchtotherhino.com)
I am going to accept that this will be a controversial post, merely because of its thesis. Hockey and soccer are the best sports ever.
Before you decide to barrage Uloop’s comments with statements of disagreement, encompassed with pride for your football, baseball or basketball team, allow me to explain why.
I have contemplated many sports, and have seen a lot of key match ups, be it the Super Bowl, the World Series, the Final Four, or even a college football game with the same rivalries shining through to the finale (yes Texas Longhorns and Oklahoma Sooners fans, I’m talking to you). But there are two sports that have the drama that keeps the fans on the edge of their seats–they are hockey and soccer, through the NHL and the English Premier League.
Two examples back this thesis up. On the hockey front, our beloved Chicago Blackhawks had all of us on the edge of our seats. As the Stanley Cup playoffs began, the Hawks faced off against the Phoenix Coyotes. The series began on a Thursday evening, which was a production night. We all gathered in the office as we worked and watched the game on television, watching with a keen interest as to whether the Hawks can move forward.
Hockey is a core conversation in the office, with discussions on trades, players and the set up of each team. Even as the season ended and trade rumors were afloat, I could hardly remember a day going by without having a great conversation with a fellow Flyer staff member on the game. There’s a special bond with us and the sport. In the end, despite the Hawks losing in the series, hockey remains apart of the gossip at the water cooler, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
On the soccer front (and why it’s called soccer here I don’t know why–the NFL doesn’t deserve the name football), the recent English Premier League championship defines why I love the league. It had been a tight match. Manchester City had not won the League title for 44 years, always outranked by their rivals Manchester United. As the end of the match drew near, the score was 2-1, and the team City was facing, Queens Park Rangers, were about to hand the title once again to United despite being reduced to ten men after controversial midfielder Joey Barton was sent off the pitch for abusing players Carlos Tevez, Vincent Kompany and Sergio Aguero.
United had won their match against Sunderland 1-0, and the title race to fans was all over…until City’s Edin Dzeko scored a goal making it tied 2-2 between City and QPR. Fans were on the edge of their seats. I had kept refreshing my Twitter application on my BlackBerry, eager with suspense. Then, Sergio Aguero scored the winning goal. After 44 years, the title belonged to City. The best season ever ended with a bang.
I appreciate that one likes football, basketball or baseball, but hockey and the real football (soccer) are the best sports around. They are the real deal, and frankly, there’s no denying it.