I don't follow soccer all that closely, though I do pay pretty careful attention to the "big" tournaments, such as the World Cup, as well as the European and South American championships. I will come out of the closet and admit that I really get a charge out of the nationalist frenzies unleashed by the tournaments. It's fun to see people who are actually proud of their countries and who are cheering them on. It is particularly fascinating to watch this occur in Europe, where any trace of nationalism is deemed to be threatening. Yet, when it comes to the soccer pitch, that changes. Hence, we now have Euro 2008, where Spain and Germany will meet for the right to call themself the best national squad on the continent: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121451886854608749.html?mod=djemEditorialPage.
All of a sudden, Germans can be proud of being GERMAN, not just European. It's okay to "hate" your opponent. Spaniards can cluck about that "nation to the north".
As I said, fascinating................
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