The digital video recorder is arguably an American soccer fan’s best friend that is not an actual living, breathing human being (sorry Keely, you are cute and all, but I don’t have to carry poop bags around after the DVR).
Games are on at crazy times, while you are at work, middle of the night, when you are at swim lessons for the four-year old. Catching games live just isn’t always realistic once family and life start intruding on your post-bachelor world. Today’s game between USA and Netherlands? I will be home, but so will our oldest who will invariably get his turn in front of the TV (it is only a friendly after all) and a chance to ride around the neighborhood on his new bike. With the magic of the DVR I will get to watch the game, albeit in multiple sittings and finishing long after the game itself.
These days, if a game is televised, you can watch it.
Gone are the days of sitting in the dark at 2 A.M. with two guys from my soccer team who did not have cable, watching the US National Team put in a punchers’ performance at the 2002 World Cup in Korea and Japan. No more watching four or five EPL games a weekend or picking and choosing which weekday afternoons to take off to catch key Champion's League or World Cup matches.
These days I browse the channel guide and decide which game to record on Saturday or Sunday, usually watching one, maybe two games if I am lucky. I am lucky enough and my wife is understanding enough of my obsession that I still manage to see almost all of the US men’s games. For the big events? Tape 'em all and sort it out later. I obviously won't watch every minute of every World Cup game this summer, but they will all get taped.
The downside of all that is of course avoiding the results until after you’ve seen the game. Case in point I climbed in my car to drive home from work last summer after having taped the USA-Spain Confederation’s Cup game having managed to stay off the Web all afternoon and with no knowledge of the result. On comes the radio and the local sports talk guys, who to my knowledge have never once before or since spoken about soccer. The first thing I hear is “Go USA! 2-0 over Spain!”. I have never been so happy and pissed off at the same time in my life.
What have we learned?
1. Own a DVR.
2. Avoid the Internet.
3. Even if your local sports talk guys have spent the last three months talking about nothing but Brett Farve and will he or won’t he, don’t turn on the radio on the drive home from work.
No comments:
Post a Comment